Affliction
by Zippy Zipper
Summary: -Tierkreis- Nemne just can't stop thinking about him. She knows what he's like, but she's not sure if he knows what she's like. She's usually talking to him, but no matter how hard she tries, she still gets the feeling that he's a lot distant from her.
1. Morning

A/N: Welcome, readers (or just reader, since I know only one person other than myself would read this again anyway… But who cares!), to Affliction! After one whole year of wondering what to do with this fic, I decided that I would revise the first chapter to make it look much better than the last one! The first one looked like crap… But this time, I got the urge to write after reading an amazing novelization of Tierkreis! That and I LOVE THIS SELF-MADE PAIRING! XD

Okay. There are three parts here, separated by breaks (that doesn't include A/N, of course) and the second part will be some kind of flashback… Or whatever.

LET'S GET ON WITH THE FIC!

Disclaimer: I don't own Suikoden Tierkreis.

* * *

"So… That's just about everything."

Nemne sat alone on the bench on her side of the dining table. Though she sat alone on her side, it didn't mean that there was no one sitting on the other. However, that side also had the same number of current occupants sitting on it, which was one person, as well. It was not she liked sitting by herself, of course not; she thought of keeping her distance from the mess he would make (and is making) as he ate his meal. That wasn't the only thing she thought about when she sat in front of him, either. She had a feeling that someone, particularly a nosy gossiper in a maid's outfit, would eventually take notice and mistake her sitting next to him as something else, which will eventually lead into castle rumors with everyone whispering her name and his, along with said gossiper relentlessly teasing the Porpos about it soon after should it happen again. Another was that if they both sat on the same side, someone might find it that they seemed to be lonely, sitting and eating near the terrace (which was quite far from where everyone else was). Some would feel bad and probably two or more people would approach them; what's more, they were people she wasn't comfortable talking to or being around with, though they all lived under the same roof. It would completely ruin the time she shared with him.

Then again, it would also be inevitable, for sooner or later, the others who sat with the two of them would arrive soon, and their moment together would eventually draw into a close. Yet, she kept the words of their leader in mind, and hoped that they came much later, or they took long enough that she had already been satisfied with the time the she spent with him.

She looked at the person who ate in front of her while he listened to her speaking earlier. He was from the same tribe as she was—a Porpos. The both of them were "formidable warriors", as their Commander Nimni once described when they first arrived in the castle. His skin was dark gray, and orange spots and patches trailed from the fin on his head down to his back, tail, and legs. His clothing was simple—a sleeveless, thin, green vest and he wore a teal sash that held the green robes he wore over his red shorts, along with a circlet around the fin on his head. On his wrists were a pair of red wristbands, and around his neck was a necklace with bones that were well-carved into rings. He had sauce all over his face and lips, and his eyelids were closed… Or seemed to be. She could never tell, really.

"Zzzz," Nomno snored after swallowing the food he was chewing in his mouth. From that, Nemne knew that he was paying attention.

"I don't really know why, but I'm starting to like this guy a lot. I mean, although I know who he is and all… He still feels a lot distant to me."

As she spoke, she saw him take a bite from the raparo he ate. Without realizing it, she picked up a random vegetable from her salad with her fork, brought it to her mouth, and ate it. She didn't even notice the aftertaste the salad dressing left on her taste buds as she brought the fork back down to the plate of mixed vegetables. She wasn't exactly hungry that morning, but she might collapse later on if she didn't eat anything at all; she didn't want anyone to worry about her. No one worrying meant that no one would ask her what was wrong… And certainly no desperados who would go so far as to invade her privacy and private life if they felt that her "I'm alright" excuse didn't convince them enough.

"I'm not sure if he knows what I'm like either, though. I know there are times we talk but… Sometimes I'm not sure if he understands me at all."

She unconsciously began to play with the vegetables with her fork. After a moment, she looked down at her plate to choose whatever she would eat next rather than doing it randomly. She then decided to eat the lettuce that was on top of the salad at the moment, and she ate it with a crunching sound. Luckily, Nomno didn't mind nor did he seem to notice she was playing with her food—he was too busy eating his raparo to even care.

"But if I say I know a lot about him… He'll probably say I'm a stalker."

Nomno paused. He put down the piece of raparo he was about to eat, then gave her an odd look, which she noticed herself. It wasn't long before she realized what he was trying to say. With a gulp, she said nervously, "B-But, it's not like I AM stalking him… I was just saying that we'd get along better if I knew what he liked beforehand!" She then lowered her voice to avoid attention from the few people who ate at the tables away from theirs. "…And in a way I would be like stalking him… But I'm not."

After a moment he resumed eating, and she let out a sigh of relief. Before she decided to speak to him any further, she let him eat his meal for a while, and she lowered her gaze to her plate of salad in front of her.

* * *

This morning was certainly different from other mornings, she knew, and began recalling the events of what happened earlier that day. She could even say it was strange. It was already strange since the time she had woken up that day: seven in the morning, which was much earlier than usual. In fact, it was three hours earlier than the usual time she woke up everyday. The first thing on her mind? Feelings, though not strong, but slowly and surely budding inside her heart. She tried to sleep again, but the feeling would not leave her. After a while, she gave in to her insomnia, and she was wide awake on her bed, her black eyes staring at the ceiling as she lay flat on her back. She felt these feelings for some time now, and that was the first time it ever prevented her from returning to her slumber.

It was then she decided that since she was awake and these feelings continued to bother her, she would try to walk it off instead... Or at least try to make some sense as to why she was feeling them, especially towards a certain gray Porpos. She could also use the exercise, and since she knew that majority of the castle's residents were still asleep in bed, the castle grounds would be peaceful, and she doubted that anyone would even notice her taking an early morning stroll. It was perfect, and nothing would distract her from her thoughts.

She changed into her casual pink clothing, and was careful to not awaken her roommate—Naineneis' priestess and town leader, Neira—as she closed the door and left. She walked down the hall and down the stairs to the lobby; if she took the lift, that would've made a lot of noise, even rudely waking some of the people who slept in the rooms next to the lift. At the lobby, she was relieved that Moana wasn't there, since she knew that girl would at once ask her what she was doing up so early. And she knew that whatever she replied with, whether it was, "I felt like waking up early", "Somehow I couldn't sleep", or even the usual excuse of, "Oh, nothing… Nothing at all" wasn't enough to convince her either. Nemne knew Moana was someone just about everyone in the castle approached, even the Company's leader. She also knew she had a knack for telling the leader to check up on certain people whenever she suspected that something was wrong with them. And whenever she did, no doubt their leader would do something about it, no questions asked.

She frowned at the number of people who would eventually find out about what she was feeling if their leader tried to involve himself with her problems. Just too many. Some would even tease her about it, much to her dismay. She didn't want anyone else knowing about this problem, and that went for the Company's leader as well. He may be willing to give a helping hand to those who need it, but this was something personal.

It wasn't long before she had gone towards the lake after passing through the empty tavern and dining hall. The lake was serene as the rising sun shone upon its calm waters. The morning breeze was cool and refreshing; it relaxed the Porpos girl. It was also very quiet—the perfect place to organize her confused thoughts.

She was about to walk towards the lakeshore when she had heard the noise of blunt items falling over. Reflexively, she turned her head to the origin of the noise, and widened her eyes in dread as she caught sight of the farmer Yadima, who had bent down to pick up the fallen farming tools he used. Of course… As a farmer, he was supposed to wake up early since he had crops to tend to and other farming-related work. Fortunately, his back faced her as he picked them up, and, in the span of a second, she turned away and took off towards the lakeshore, hoping that she would get away in time before he saw her. She did, and, after a few more seconds of running, she stopped to catch her breath, placing a hand on a nearby tree and leaning on it for support.

_Thank goodness he didn't see me…_ She thought as she panted nervously. When her breathing returned to its normal pace, she turned her head to her left, seeing the calm lake before her. It brought her peace of mind and she was glad that the castle was situated next to a lake. It reminded her of the ocean and her home of Naineneis. It also made her think up of a good song to sing that day should someone ever talk to her about the lake later.

She sat down next to the tree she was leaning on and gazed out into the distance. She then thought about her feelings, the ones that kept her from sleeping a few more hours, and thought about whom she was having these feelings for. It was her fellow Porpos warrior, the always-sleeping-except-when-he-was-hungry Nomno. She didn't realize that she liked him until the day after they joined the Company in their attack on Lazdaa Fortress. He had returned to sleep after that, and when the Company's leader came to talk to her about it after several weeks and even after a few months, she had never felt so giddy when she told him that he did that all the time, and that he'd only wake up when there was food to be served for him. After that, she began to have these thoughts and began daydreaming about how cute he looked when he slept… Or something like that. Lady Neira, who was with her when she was doing it one time, had noticed that she stared off into space and looked red at the same time. When she pointed it out to Nemne, the pink Porpos blushed profusely after realizing she was caught. Thankfully, Lady Neira wasn't like Anya or Moana, and the Naineneis priestess at once believed her when the Porpos girl said that she was doing a form of "training" she learned from someone before and she didn't want to be disturbed. She gladly complied with her request, and whenever Nemne had done it in their room, Lady Neira merely left her to her whim as she prayed to the sea god Ninulneda. Hopefully the sea god wouldn't tell Neira that she was lying… That is, if there really _IS_ a sea god. (Not that she didn't believe there was…)

Her thoughts shifted to the gray Porpos again. The thought caused her to blush. She had to know, though—what it was about him that captivated her?

One by one, the questions started popping in her mind:

Was it because he just looked nice when he slept? Was it because of his looks? …No, that wouldn't be it. These feelings had a better reason for being there than just that. That was a stupid reason to like anyone. No one should judge a book by its cover, after all.

Was it the way he fought? Did she like his fighting style and his mastery of the spear? Did she like seeing him fight in battle? …No, that wasn't it either. She could care less about that. Why would she want to even think about it when she was already good with throwing a boomerang?

Was it the way he ate then? You must be kidding; Nemne was a neat person. She kept herself tidy whenever possible. And the way Nomno ate—you'd best expect a few bits of food flying everywhere—your face and clothes most especially should you end up sitting next to him.

Was it how he got infuriated whenever someone would be so stupid enough as to hit him while he slept? It certainly wasn't that one; she didn't like seeing him angry. In fact, in all the time she had known him, those were the only times he ever got angry. She had never seen him get angry at someone for any reason other than waking him from his sleep…

Then what?

Why did she like him anyway?

Was he really _that _attractive?

All he ever does is sleep and eat… And fight whenever it was necessary. But why did she have to like him? Why not the Commander or even Lady Neira's adviser Namna? They would have made more sense, and she would be able to understand them whenever they spoke. They were also smarter, too, and more responsible. They didn't lie down sleeping for weeks on end, and they ate lots of food because they deserved to, especially after working hard for so long. (Does watching over the Priestess count as hard work anyway?)

As for Nomno, he only spoke with snores, he always seemed clueless that's going on around him, his table manners were unbearable; heck, he even sleeps while he stands! And what's more, you could never tell whether he was awake or asleep because his eyelids were closed all the time! (Makes you wonder how he's able to see things when he's walking too…)

So why? Why did she have these feelings anyway? And why for him? Why not somebody else?

"…Frankly, I don't really know," She heard herself say as she leaned herself against the tree behind her. It wasn't like her to be this way, to be so broody about her feelings. She was usually chipper and cheery; the most positive and optimistic among the Porpos-kin in the castle. She sang songs of happiness and lifted people's moods, even though it did quite embarrass her fellow tribesmen at some point. She didn't sit around and allow herself to think negatively, she sang for people to keep their spirits alive. Even before battle, she would sing a song of empowerment, bolstering her allies' strengths. And whenever she was happy, she would sing her words in front of everyone.

But now, even singing her words isn't helping at all…

"It's just… You just like him, as friend. That's all." She told herself quietly, and tried to think of something else. For some reason, whenever she did, it eventually led back into her thoughts regarding the gray Porpos.

Everything suddenly became silent to her; even the sound of the waves on the nearby lake became unheard, along with the chirping of birds on the trees. She drowned herself in her thoughts as she continued to ask herself what it was she liked about him… And why.

She remained that way for a while, even closing her eyes to try and rest. It was too early to be even thinking about this, and what's more she found it quite tiring to think about. Tiring… Perhaps this may get her back to sleep after all… Though she doubted it if she were to return to bed with that on her mind.

The voices of Dromon and his crew were what eventually snapped her back to reality. She looked up into the sky and realized that she had dozed off, as the sun was now visible in the sky and that she could hear the noise of the usual castle activities. She felt a light rumble in her stomach, and decided to have something to eat, even though her meal would be light as she wasn't at all hungry. Getting up, she took one last glance at the lake, before walking back to the castle's dining hall.

* * *

She eventually came out of her reverie as she looked up to see Nomno in front of her. He was picking out the meat from the raparo bones clean and ate them. She sweatdropped as she watched how he ate them… It was really messy. That was the only way she could have said it if she were to explain it plainly. She began to wonder if he had ever heard of table manners, but seeing how content he was eating, she couldn't help but smile at her fellow tribesman.

Speaking of the sleep-loving Porpos, when she had first arrived she had already found him asleep there, even admitting to have half-expected that he was sleeping on the long seat. But when the pink Porpos returned with a tray of meals (along with a knightly Meruvis, who volunteered to help her after seeing how much of a hard time she had carrying it as she went up the stairs), Nomno sat up at once as though he was in a trance, faced the table, and began eating. It was just like him, and she sang that he eat up, which he did, just before she could even finish singing.

She looked around, letting her eyes stray to wherever she found interesting. The Dining Hall was lively as it always was during breakfast, especially downstairs, where people were lined up as they took turns in ordering their meals, some more impatient than others, unfortunately. It wasn't usually that way before—members of the Company went back and forth from the kitchen counter to ask or demand Wustum to cook something for them. But since it would be too hard for him to do a lot of dishes at the same time and that the crowd was always demanding him to hurry it up, he just made the people to form a line instead. That way, he wouldn't have to worry too much about having to cook like the day to launch their assault on Cynas was tomorrow. Besides, he works at the kitchen alone since he always claimed it as his "fortress" and that nobody but him should be in it and should cook in it. There was one point that her friend, Sisuca, asked if he wanted some help with the dishes, but he said it was alright and he could handle them himself.

Her eyes eventually came to peer towards Nomno's plate. There was a raparo, marinated with sauce and roasted over an open flame. Pepper was sprinkled on it, making it a tad bit spicy, she guessed. For a side dish were some vegetables, grown most likely in Citro Village or at the farm where Yadima worked. The enticing scent of her friend's meal eventually came into contact with her sense of smell, and somehow she felt herself drooling for some reason. Everyone knew Wustum made his meals with style, even if it was something as simple as breakfast.

_It must be good if Nomno likes it a lot,_ She thought. _I wonder if…_

Nomno, who was watching her the entire time, noticed that her eyes were set upon his plate, and, after tearing a piece off, he handed it to her, though she only saw it when his hand was already over her plate.

"Zzzz," He snored. He was obviously telling her to take it. She blinked at his sudden gesture, before holding her hands up in defense, saying, "No, no, Nomno… I'm sorry." She gently pushed the sauce-covered hand that held the piece of raparo away. "I guess I was just too hungry and I saw your plate… I forgot it was your meal. And besides, Nomno… I have a meal of my own." She pointed at her plate with her fork. He looked down at it; only the top part had been eaten since the dressing was gone, but it was mostly uneaten. He wasn't convinced.

"Zzzz!" He snored insistently. She doubted that he was doing that because he couldn't finish his meal. Nomno, leaving leftovers? Now that was something he'd never do. He always remembered to clean the plate free of food before he had gone back to sleep.

It wasn't long before she gave in to his insistence and accepted the raparo he offered her. He placed it on her plate, and with her fork, she picked it. Oil dripped a bit and falling onto the vegetables of her salad, and, after taking a quick glance from Nomno—who watched with an anticipating smile on his face—, she ate the raparo. She licked her lips, chewed it a bit, before she swallowed it down. It had an interestingly flavorful aftertaste that was left on her taste buds after she had eaten it, and she wanted some more.

But she remembered—Nomno was still eating his meal and he only gave me a part of it because he wanted her to have a taste. To be honest, that actually was the very first time she had ever eaten a raparo in her life. Living a life in a place such as Naineneis, she most of the time would end up eating fish instead of meat everyday. Eating fish was a part of a Porpos' diet, since her people always have lived in the sea, or near the sea, or just in that giant shell of a town where everybody is, whichever anyone in Naineneis preferred to live in.

"This is really good," Nemne remarked. "No wonder you like eating it, huh?" He beamed her with a smile, openly expressing his delight. At this, Nemne couldn't help but giggle at the way he smiled. His smile faded and he tilted his head to the side, a curious look on his face.

"Zzzz?" Upon hearing this, she stopped, and looked at his face. Shaking her head, she spoke, "No, nothing's wrong, Nomno." She hoped that he didn't think that she was making fun of him or anything. "I'm just glad you're happy with it."

For a moment, he gave her a look that made her feel like he didn't believe what she was saying. Her doubts were cleared, however, as he nodded in return, his smile returning. She sighed in relief and the both of them continued eating their meals.

They both shared silence after their little misunderstanding, which was fortunately, resolved soon after. During that time, Nemne had eaten some more out of her meal and Nomno returned to picking some of the raparo's bones clean. After a while though, she paused from her meal, and once again, for the nth time that day, another question regarding Nomno came to mind…

Why did she tell her problem to him?

Her problem, which involved her feelings towards him… She spoke about it to him earlier, calling him "this guy" or "that person" to hide it. She did not approach anyone else; she went to him, and only him.

Why?

She could have said that to someone else who had a willing ear to lend her, someone who had more experience, or someone who was good in keeping secrets. Heck, she could've even told Lady Neira herself; they were both roommates, both girls, and Lady Neira was probably involved romantically with someone once in her life, too. But no, she didn't go to them and talked to them about it; she went to the very person whom she had these feelings for.

Why?

Was she trying to make her distress known to him? Was she trying to make it so obvious that he was the one she had these feelings for? Was she trying to tell him that, "You're the guy I like; c'mon, figure it out already"? Was she also quite frustrated at him for not getting it sooner, for being so clueless and as slow as he always was? Did she do this just so he would become a little more like the Commander or Namna, whose behaviors were much unlike his?

…

…

…No.

That was wrong.

It wasn't just wrong; that would be insensitive of her. She winced as she felt a pang of guilt at her stomach for thinking that way about him, and she lost her appetite as she unconsciously dropped her fork next to her plate. She pulled her hand away and limply brought it down to her side as she bowed her head down and stared at the salad again.

She refused to believe those previous explanations that were conjured in her mind. She knew those accusations were false, and none of it were to properly explain the reason for her actions. To behave like that… It was unlike her to be that way… It was not her to be so shallow and selfish.

She knew of what exactly prompted her to approach him instead of anyone else.

Nomno, he… Nomno was, to her, like a confidant of sorts. Though he never said any words… Though all he replied to her were his snores… It was his presence, his willingness to listen to her, and the fact that he was always the person she approached whenever she wanted to talk about something or whenever she had a problem… It was enough. She also had to admit—she was closer to him than she was with the other Porpos-kin Starbearers, and she grew fond of his company more than the others. And as for the non-Porpos-kin in the Company… Majority were people she never really knew, or she didn't know that they were actually members of the Company. There was Sisuca of course, but the way she behaved made her seem untrustworthy.

Perhaps it was because he was more laid back… And the most lazy among the other five Porpos-kin Starbearers. He was also easy to talk to, and he had a lot of spare time in his hands, though it was mostly devoted to sleeping. Nimni was always busy training, so she barely had time to tell him anything. Lady Neira was also busy with matters like her meetings with the other prominent members of the Company regarding certain some of their plans against the Order, and she also had to devote her time to worshiping and praying to Ninulneda. Namna was a very serious fellow, and that she felt slightly uncomfortable if she were to speak with him. And lastly, Numnu was just a kid, and would anyone really think that a kid like that would be able to understand or even care about someone in love? Heck, he'd probably just bug her about it or pull some kind of sick prank on her…

_Closer to him…_ At once a blush caused her white cheeks to turn light pink. _We… We're not t-that close…_ She thought to herself, trying to fight away the blush. She may have not told anyone about it other than Nomno himself, but a part of her was already the one teasing her about it…

How ironic.

"Zzzz?" He asked as he put down the bone he picked clean on his plate. He noticed that she had been quiet for a while, and that she looked like she had no more interest in eating whatever remained of her salad. Looking up, Nemne saw that perhaps he wanted it instead, as her appetite had quickly faded after earlier. Glancing back and forth from the plate and the Porpos in front of her, she asked, "Do you want this?"

"Zzzz!" He replied without hesitation while she pushed the plate over to him, and was careful to have put away the fork before giving her meal to her friend. Knowing Nomno, why would he need a damn fork, anyway? He immediately took a handful of vegetables and shoved them down his mouth. From that, she knew he was completely thankful she gave him her salad, though she wished he'd eat in a less… Brusque manner. The pink Porpos merely sweatdropped at the sight. But she knew he was happy, and she smiled at her companion.

"You're welcome~" She sang happily, as she always did when she felt cheery. Seeing him this way was enough reason for her to do so (despite the mess). Standing up, she proceeded to leave, but as she did, Nomno paused mid-chew of a vegetable and looked as though he was about to ask where she was going.

She sang again, "I've eaten my fill~ So I'll take off like there's a drill~" As soon as she sung the last word, she trotted down the stairs. As the distance between her and him grew, and as the loud noise made in the dining hall died down as she entered the quiet tavern, her cheerful expression faded, leaving what felt like an empty void in her soul.

Looking down at the stone floor, a voice in her mind spoke, _You're not even sure if he even likes you at all…_

_

* * *

_

A/N: The revised Chapter 1! I can't help but feel so good after writing this! XD First person POV was never my kind of thing… So I made it third person instead, just the way I love it!

I feel like the Nemne there is totally different from the Nemne in the game… It's not like her at all. But that's how things work when you have feelings for people, I guess. How should I know, I've never been in a relationship before, so I can't really understand. I did try to think of how I would feel if I were in her shoes, though… If I was ever someone who liked getting herself into relationships, which I'm not.

As for Nomno's habits… I think I went and overdid his lack of table manners. XD

I revised a few errors after I reread it, and I just got irritated at those. Why didn't I see those when I reread the story last time anyway?

What do you guys think? R&R if you have the time! (unless you reviewed already… Too bad, but I understand)

Thanks for reading! -Zip


	2. Unreadable

A/N: Welcome, readers, to Affliction! It's been a year since I updated, and for the past few nights, I've busied myself with writing and making this fic even better. Just a few days ago, I revised the first chapter of this fic, mostly because I saw how bad it was. Now I've decided to work on this fic before I head back to school (…Yeah, I'll be back in school at around the first or second week of June) since I know I'll have a hard time making this once school starts again (Along with my other fics).

That's not the only thing I've been doing, though… I also made fanart of the two of them (In fact I spent one whole night doing it), and I felt so great after I made it that I felt compelled to write this chapter! X3

Well, let's get on with the fic then!

Disclaimer: I don't own Suikoden Tierkreis… And the song I thought about while I wrote a certain quote in this chapter.

* * *

The harbor by the lake was unusually quiet except for the sounds of the waves on the shore, what with the absence of Dromon and his crew. Apparently, the three of them were sent on an errand somewhere at the isles of Lonomakua, and for the farmer Yadima, who worked on his crops nearby, it felt quite strange that he wasn't able to hear the voices of the pirate trio. Somehow, he had grown used to their presence, even though they were quite loud at times. The Furious Roar child, Autar, felt quite depressed with their absence; he told the farmer that it didn't feel the same when they weren't around. Even Rekareka found it odd that they were gone, and he could also tell that Tuhululu seemed to miss them as well; he was even quieter than usual. Despite this, it was also a great opportunity for them to enjoy the silence while they could, because they knew that the pirates would return from their errand after a few weeks. Also, with their absence, the lake had become quite peaceful, and it started to become the way it once was before Dromon and his crew first came to the castle.

Quiet… Peaceful… Just the perfect place to take a load off from any kind of burden… Or take a long nap. …Or maybe sing.

"Let us all sing a song~ A happy, cheery, and merry song~ A song that makes me smile with glee~ One that makes us all carefree~"

Nemne sang another one of her songs as she walked out of the dining hall with a sandwich in hand. It was a simple sandwich she made by herself, after she had asked for some of the ingredients from Wustum. The castle chef was quite hesitant to her request, and he told her that he should make the sandwich instead of her. But she told him that she wished that she would try something she learned from Sisuca, but he continued to insist against it and continued to persuade her into allowing him to do it for her. It went on for a few minutes, until their leader came and told him that if she wanted to try it, then he should let her; no one knew how good it would turn out unless she tried, right?

"Let's come together and sing as one~ Let's share our happiness to everyone~ Don't sit around and worry all day~ Get up and sing your troubles away~"

The chef hesitantly gave her some of the foodstuffs she requested, and after a while, she had come up with the same sandwich she held in her hand. She had put some fresh lettuce, slices of tomato, and an evenly sliced portion of a fish that was one of the few leftovers from breakfast. When their leader had asked her what it tasted like, she replied that it was alright and even offered him to have a taste. He accepted, and agreed that it certainly wasn't at all bad after he gave it a try himself. After which she then cleared the air with Wustum after saying that she still wanted him to cook for her, and to this, the chef felt quite happy at her statement and said it was still fine with him; at least she wasn't like a certain prince whose taste buds were out of whack.

"So come on and sing along~ Sing with us; it isn't wrong~ Be rid of your frown and put on a smile~ Live your life and make it all worthwhile~"

She paused from her song, apparently out of words to sing. Turning to her right, her eyes caught sight of the lake nearby. The lake was never there once before, she knew, and so did everyone else. After the Company had broken away from the Magedom and returned along with Asad and the Blades of Night's Veil, they encountered a white light that came from the direction of the castle. When they went to see it, she became just as surprised as their leader, who claimed to Asad and the Blades that the lake was never there before and the castle was much smaller than it was now. But instead of pondering how the lake appeared and how the sudden growth of the castle came to happen, she, like the Commander, became just as overjoyed as he was at the appearance of the lake. It certainly felt like a reminder of their home of Naineneis.

She walked towards the fork that led to either the nearby farm or the small harbor by the lake. She stopped, though, as her eyes caught sight of someone she didn't expect to see there.

Under the shade of a large and leafy tree was Nomno, lying down on the grass with his hands folded over his stomach. She could already tell that he was asleep and didn't bother to wonder why he was there. Taking a bite out of her sandwich, she approached him, and she could hear his calm breathing as she came closer to the sleeping Porpos. _I'm not even surprised,_ She thought as she shook her head with a shrug of her shoulders.

Instead of just standing there, she decided to sit down next to her friend. She turned her head to look at him again, and she saw the tired look he often had on his face. Though she had almost always seen the gray Porpos sleeping all the time, this was the first time she ever thought that despite all that has happened to them during their stay in the Company, despite all the battles they've had against the Order, he still manages to sleep peacefully as though he didn't have a care in the world.

In all honesty, she couldn't help but say that she saw him cute when he was sleeping like that. Although she wasn't at all tired and it was only midday, when she looked at him, it sort of made her want to sleep as well. It was like one of those social influences; for example, when someone yawns, everyone else starts to yawn a while later, and so on. Speaking of yawns, she herself let out one. After a few seconds of thinking about it, she pulled out a clean napkin and neatly wrapped her sandwich with it, and proceeded to lie down next to him and doze off as well.

She could hear him snore lightly, and the pink Porpos let out a small chuckle. He suddenly stirred in his sleep, causing her to sit still. Nervously, she glanced towards his face, hoping that she didn't wake him as she watched him move his hand up to scratch the side of his head. He brought it down after a while and went back to sleep, much to her relief.

"Whew…" She sighed. "That was close."

Seeing that he had resumed his rest, Nemne laid herself down on the grass, her folded hands over the wrapped sandwich she placed over her stomach. Looking up, all she saw were the leaves that provided them both with shade. Along with the view of the lake, the calm sound of the waves, the warm weather, and the gentle breeze that blew, it was no wonder why Nomno chose to take a nap here. Even the lack of a crowd and the noise of people chattering away endlessly made it all the more a nice place to let herself doze off and fall asleep.

Another yawn escaped her mouth, and she was about to close her eyelids when…

_What if someone sees you sleeping next to him?_

To this, the pink Porpos' eyes widened at once, a blush flaring across her white cheeks. Her tiredness disappeared from her almost completely. She felt her heart pounding against her chest as the question echoed throughout the corners of her mind. She sat up, an anxious look on her face. She looked around, hoping that no one saw her lie down next to her companion. Thankfully, there was no crowd or any group of people who slowed down to look at them. She turned towards the small farm nearby; Yadima was busy with his crops, and Autar was tending to the animals. Megion and his company didn't seem to be around, either.

…_But wait…!_ She turned towards Rekareka's tent. There was no sign of the Wanderer and her son anywhere. Anya was also nowhere in sight.

She let out an exasperated sigh. Not many people came out of the castle at this time of day, and though most of the Starbearers were either inside of the castle or away on a mission somewhere, she never knew whether there would be people who came out there or not. She recalled the words of her leader: "You won't know what will happen until the time comes." It would be alright to just lie down next to him and nap, but no one can really help it if there happens to be people who end up seeing them napping together and also start talking about them. The thought was also unbearable to Nemne, so the Porpos girl—though she was reluctant to do so—decided to just sit up and stay awake instead. She would be pessimistic instead of being optimistic for now; it was to also keep too many people from being involved in her affairs as much as possible.

From the corner of her eye she saw him yawn. When she shifted her eyes' attention to his face, he had already brought a hand up to rub his eyes. He then sat up and started looking around him. Nemne watched her companion and as she did, she began to wonder how in the world he manages to look around him despite the fact that she had always seen his eyes closed. Perhaps he had been so good at squinting his eyes that he always made himself look as though he were asleep. It would be very tactical should anyone attempt to sneak up on him as he goes off to sleep.

Thoughts about his eyes aside, Nemne decided to greet him.

"Good day, Nomno~" Nemne sang. With a loud snort, he jumped out of his sitting position and was on his feet in a few moments.

"Zzzz…" He sounded and looked surprised; he had a nervous hand on his chest and he was breathing heavily. Nemne crossed her arms and pouted a little, pretending that she was angry at what he just did. "And what was THAT supposed to mean?" She demanded, and she felt that she had intimidated him a little since he didn't answer right away.

After a few moments, she quitted doing her little drama and sang with a smile, "Don't worry about it~" He looked relieved and let out a sigh before he sat back down on the grass next to her.

"Speaking of sleeping~" She sang, apparently trying to start a conversation with him, "Did you sleep well~?" He nodded with a sheepish smile on his face as he gazed upon the lake, though she couldn't tell since his eyes were probably closed that time too. "Zzzz." He sounded content about his nap under the shade, and also maybe how comfortable the grass was while he slept. She smiled in return.

"That's a good thing~" She sang. "Did you have any dreams~?"

He looked upwards and seemed as though he was about to space out when he replied, "Zzzz." He let out another yawn.

"Were they good dreams~?"

"…Zzzz."

"Since your dreams were good, I'm sure it had lots of food~"

Nomno drooled as he recalled his dream. "Zzzz…" Nemne sweatdropped at him but smiled anyway.

"I'd like to know what else was in them~" Though it seemed strange, she was, honestly, intrigued and was curious to know what the gray Porpos' dream was. Before Nomno could reply with a snore, however, she paused and realized something. Nemne's smile turned into a frown and Nomno eyed her questioningly as he noticed her sudden change of facial expression.

"Zzzz?" He snored. Somehow, Nemne didn't even notice that Nomno let out a snore just now. It was only a few moments later, when the snore echoed in her mind, that she realized that she had spaced out and she looked up to see Nomno's face. "Zzzz?" He asked again. Nemne couldn't help but slightly blush in embarrassment.

"Oh, um… It's nothing, Nomno…" Her voice trailed off and became silent. She looked away from him, her cheery expression slowly fading. Nomno, who watched her, was about to snore again, but seeing how quiet the pink Porpos became, he decided to keep quiet as well.

Silence filled the atmosphere around them. In that silence, Nomno continued to study the pink Porpos who sat next to him, and Nemne began to think about the times she spoke with him. Whenever she talked to him, he would always speak with snores. Though it seemed crazy that she talked to someone who replies with snores, she would be lying if she said that she fully understood whatever he told her. Ever since she became a warrior of Naineneis, he was the one she went to when she had no one to talk to; the very first one she approached when she had no one to share her thoughts with since her first days as a member of the Porpos-kin warriors. And for a long time, he was always the person she went to when she had something in mind. She was the talker, he was the listener… And during that long period of time, perhaps she had begun to interpret his emotions and words through his snores. When he felt depressed or tired, his snores would be weak; when he was happy or whenever food was served to him, his snores would sound excited yet accompanied by a smile. Lastly, when he was angry, his snores would be loud and unbearable, and he was only like that when someone disturbed him from his sleep.

The gray Porpos' snores weren't anything bad to her. She felt gladdened when she heard his snores. The problem was that, sometimes, whenever she wanted to hear something from him—such as his dreams just now, what happened while she wasn't around, or even something about himself—she never found out what it was. Even if she were to ask him, the only things he would reply with were the snores he made.

She wondered if he ever spoke any words at all, or if he ever learned how to talk when he was young. Ever since they met, she had never heard him say a word. Did anyone even teach him how to speak? Then again, how come he was able to understand hers and other people's words just as well as everyone else? His exposure to everyone who knew how to speak properly may have been a factor to that, but…

When it all came down to it…

Was he only pretending to understand everyone, then? Was he only pretending to pay attention to whatever she had told him all these years? Did he just reply with those snores just so she could feel comforted by the idea that he was listening to her when in fact he didn't have a clue at all over what she just told him?

Nemne suddenly flinched at what she just thought. How could she possibly say that?

She should be more grateful if that was truly the case; some people, when they are approached by others who have problems, they just get up and leave, not even caring about the people who came to them. And these same, insensitive people, whenever they are approached by people who voice out their thoughts regarding a certain thing or matter because no one else would pay attention, they would scorn them, and say their mindsets, ways of life, opinions, even cultures and beliefs… They were all wrong. And what's more…

People like them… They were no different from the Order; the very same thing their Company was fighting against.

"Zzzz…" She heard him snore. She turned back to him and saw a worried expression on his face. It was obvious that he was watching her all this time, but she could care less about that; she paid more attention to how he worried he looked as he watched her. He didn't know what was going on with her, nor did he know why she suddenly began to behave strangely, but he could see that she was feeling down and it seemed that he wanted to do something to cheer her up.

To be honest, she didn't know whether he looked worried for that reason or if he was just hungry and was silently pleading for her to get him something to eat.

Whatever the reason was, it didn't matter. The important thing was he was there for her, asleep or not (And if he was asleep, then it wasn't something some _food_ wouldn't be able to fix…). She was glad because no matter what she told him—her problems, her thoughts, her opinions and even her experiences—he didn't get up and leave her, nor did he tell her how stupid she was for thinking that way and for believing such things. He stayed there with her, and let her talk (or sing) to her heart's content about what she thought about. She felt a bit guilty, because she never knew his thoughts about the topics she brought up and she was always the one talking, but she understood why he was unable to say anything; he did reply with snores, after all.

But again, she could never tell, really, if that was the case or not.

Her black eyes looked straight at his closed (or squinted) ones. Her smile returned and she sang, "I'm alright now, don't worry about me~"

Nomno returned her smile. "Zzzz," He snored. Perhaps he was concerned for her after all…

* * *

They spent the next two hours under the shade of the leafy tree, with Nemne either talking or singing to him about random things every now and again, and the two of them laughing (even if it was mostly Nemne) about some things the Porpos girl brought up a few times. Nomno had lain down on the grass again after he got tired of sitting up, and Nemne, who felt tempted to lie with him, merely remained seated and with her head leaning against the tree instead. When Nemne ran out of things to say, she allowed herself to space out as she stared at the lake in the distance.

Random thoughts entered her mind as she spaced out. One of which was another song she had come up with about the lake; she hoped to sing them to Lady Neira later, that is, if the priestess wasn't busy giving Numnu another sermon. She made one about it when the lake first appeared, and sang it to their leader when he approached her to talk about it. This time the song was different; it was about how the lake made her feel calm and how it made her feel a tad light-headed. Light-headed… Somehow the tired feeling she had when she first saw Nomno under the tree returned to her. That or Nomno's love for sleeping even during the day was starting to rub off on the pink Porpos.

Her gaze at the lake was disturbed, however, as she caught sight of a familiar orange Porpos running along the path that led to the farm with a mischievous grin on his face. Obviously that boy was up to his pranks again, she knew. She recalled an earlier time before she joined the Company when he hid her boomerang somewhere in Naineneis which took her days to find. He left her notes throughout various places in the Porpos-kin city which had instructions that required her to do different tasks, most of which involved either food or sweets and having to spend her own potch. He was eventually found out when she saw him take the bag full of food away before she left to take a rest. After speaking with the Commander about it, the boy was sent to Neira, and he was punished with what the Porpos-kin saw as a severe form of punishment: a sermon from the sea god herself. After that, he apologized though not wholeheartedly, returned her boomerang, and was forced to work for the people Nemne bought food and sweets from so he would pay her back.

Her eyes squinted and she saw in his hands what seemed to be a bottle he held. He ran towards the animal shed, and Nemne could make out the laughter he tried to hold back as she wondered what he was doing. After a minute or so, he emerged from the animal shed and trotted back to the castle, covering his mouth with both hands as he did.

"Zzzz," She heard her companion snore, as though he called her attention. Nemne shifted her gaze towards the Porpos that lay on the grass. _He probably saw him too,_ She thought.

"What's the matter?" She asked him. Nomno looked down the empty space of grass to his left, looked back at her again, and—after staring at the ground for what felt like a long time—placed a hand down the grass and turned back to her. "Zzzz…" He snored, and Nemne was taken aback at his sudden gesture.

"You… You want me to lie down?" She asked, though she was unsure that was the case. However, a nod and a smile from Nomno made it clear enough; he wanted her to lie down with him. She didn't know why but Nomno started to remind her of a child asking his mother for something he wanted. The pink Porpos was speechless as she held a hand over her mouth.

"I… Um…" She said, before her voice trailed off. Another blush made her cheeks heat up, and almost instinctively, she bowed her head down to hide the blush, much to his surprise. His request was quite unexpected; usually he asked her to get her some food. But here he was, asking that she take a load off and relax. A part of her was overjoyed, while a part of her became worried and unsure. But of course she would lie down with him; this was like an amazing opportunity she wouldn't want to miss. She would have done it without him asking her to do so. And yet, there was the problem of people around them taking notice of the two of them and some later teasing her about it at every chance they got… She wouldn't be able to stand that…

Her emotions changed from happy to uncertain simultaneously, and it wasn't long before she became frustrated. Why did she even care about what they thought anyway? It wasn't something that hurt anyone or anything at all, was it? Besides, they should just mind their own business and let her do whatever she felt like making her feel happy and content with her life. When she sang songs that at times made her fellow Porpos-kin embarrassed (particularly Nimni or Numnu), she didn't care; she was happy singing her (sometimes) awkward songs and that was all that mattered to her.

Then why was she so conscious about something such as the public's opinion about her lying down next to her friend?

They were friends, weren't they? Nothing but friends. They were in no relationship other than friendship, so lying down next to him was nothing more than a friendly act.

And how was she even sure that the public would think that way once they saw the two of them lying down on the grass together? How sure was she that anyone would come around, see them, and tease her about it? How was she sure that the castle gossip lovers were going come out there, see them, start chanting their names, and call them lovebirds whenever they saw them together or alone? How was she even sure that Luvais was there, spying on them with Anya and a few other people like the time they spied on her and Sisuca (whom she was taking singing lessons from at the time)?

"You won't know that until the time comes," Echoed their leader's voice in her head again. He had a point; it wasn't like she could tell the future or anything… And she was behaving like someone from the Order.

But she wasn't as bold or as rash as their leader was, was she? And she wasn't at all fond of taking risks, either. When it came to a matter like this, it wasn't a good thing to be so daring. This wasn't like a game where you roll three dice in a bowl and see whether you win or lose all the potch you bet, and this wasn't like having to choose whether you would wear something colorful or something flashy for an audience you'd have with a king. This was more complicated than anyone thought… Even though she is the one making herself miserable and making it complicated by having to think this way.

_Better safe than sorry…_ She decided although she felt reluctant. She looked up at him and forced herself to smile, her blush still on her cheeks but not entirely evident to the gray Porpos. "Thanks, but," She gulped. "No thanks, Nomno."

Nomno frowned slightly, a tiny hint of disappointment visible in his face. Nemne wondered if he was either concerned about her or he just wanted her to lie down next to him that badly when he asked her. After a while he nodded and lay on the grass again, apparently going back to sleep as he always did. Nemne felt relieved that he didn't take her refusal to his offer against her, and cast her eyes upon the lake again, falling into another reverie as everything became silent between them.

But just as Nomno was about to fall into unconsciousness…

"…Rrrr…"

Surprisingly, even for Nomno, his tiredness disappeared just as Nemne's did earlier. Nemne, who heard the low rumble, snapped out of her trance turned her head towards him. The gray Porpos felt awkward at the noise that broke the silence, while Nemne began to giggle, then broke out into a fit of laughter. He was hungry, and they both knew it.

"Zzzz?" He snored as he looked at the pink Porpos. She calmed down some seconds later, panting to catch her breath. Looking down at his face that looked up at her in curiosity, she decided to not say her words this time, but rather, sing them, as she always did whenever she felt chipper. "You're stomach sounds angry now that you're hungry~" She sang. He gave her a blank look before nodding with a sheepish grin. Nemne returned it with a smile.

"Since that's how you feel, I've got something for you~" She straightened herself and took out the wrapped sandwich she was eating earlier before handing it to him. Nomno sat up and stared at the gift she was giving him. "Zzzz?" He asked as he looked up at her. It was obvious that he was asking what he should do with it.

"Go on, Go on~ Take my sandwich~" She sang, insisting that he take it. After staring at it for a few moments, he took the sandwich in hand and unwrapped it. It was already bitten, but only a small portion of the whole sandwich was consumed. Shifting his eyes' attention back to Nemne's smiling face, he snored in gratitude, "Zzzz…"

"You're welcome~ I made it myself~" She then got up and stretched out her arms. Nomno looked up at her standing figure, and Nemne could tell that he was going to ask where she was going by making another snore. She didn't give him a chance to, as she already answered, "I'm going back inside. Do you want to come along with me?"

Nomno shook his head; it seemed that he wanted to stay outside some more. "Alright, if you say so~" She sang and spun around to head back in the castle, humming a tune while she did. But just as she was about to reach the entrance, she paused, then she turned around and went back to where her friend sat. He was about to eat the sandwich she gave him when he noticed her presence in front of him again.

He shifted his eyes from his sandwich towards her; his face was full of naiveté and she knew that he was asking why she returned all of a sudden. His "Zzzz?" confirmed her presentiment, and she locked her eyes upon his closed (or squinted… She never knew) ones before telling him with outmost sincerity in her voice, "Nomno… Thank you."

He gave her a blank look as he held the sandwich she gave him in his hands and probably wondered what he did that made her so grateful to him. She began to feel another blush creeping to her cheeks as she realized that he had been staring at her for so long (that or he dozed off again). Thankfully, he seemed to snap back to reality and replied with, "Zzzz." And by the smile on his face, she knew that it meant, "No problem."

She turned around and trotted back inside the castle. Nomno watched her leave, and when she was completely out of sight, he looked down at the sandwich she gave him. He stared at it silently for a few minutes, and then when he heard his stomach rumble again, he took a bite out of the sandwich. He allowed his taste buds to examine the sandwich's flavor, and he smiled when he found it quite appetizing. After swallowing what was in his mouth, he took another bite. Somehow he couldn't get enough of the taste it had. It wasn't just the taste; there was something else about the sandwich that made it taste so good.

He just couldn't put his finger on what it was, though…

* * *

In the distance, just by the doorway that led back to the dining hall and behind some barrels, a blushing Nemne smiled gleefully as she watched Nomno eat the sandwich she made.

She sighed as she smiled dreamily. "He likes it…" She giggled. "He actually likes it…"

"Nemne?"

The Porpos girl froze on the spot at the sound of the voice behind her. Slowly, her head turned around, and her black eyes caught sight of a black-haired girl who wore a blue-striped, white cloth on her head. Her dark gray eyes blinked as she had them fixed upon the pink Porpos, who was becoming redder and more nervous at the thought that her friend had probably been standing there this whole time.

"Nemne, are you alright?" Sisuca asked. "What are you doing here?"

Nemne gulped. Without thinking, she put a hand behind her head and put on a false grin. "Hi, Sisuca! …Um, I'm taking a little break. I was…" She scratched the side of her head absently. "I've been outside all day, you know? Ahaha…" She laughed nervously, her face becoming slightly redder as she tried to maintain her grin. Speaking of the blush, Sisuca also noticed the redness on her Porpos friend's face.

"Oh my…" She said, her voice sounded worried. "Your face is all red! What happened?"

"Ah… This?" Nemne sweatdropped. She knew she had to find some excuse that didn't make her seem suspicious. "It's…" She felt a warm breeze enter the dining hall from the large doorway behind her and an idea popped in her mind. "The weather!" She exclaimed. "The weather, it's… Pretty hot outside! I guess I, uh, worked up a sweat after being out all day, walking around the castle and all…"

Fortunately, Sisuca always saw Nemne bright and chipper, so the black-haired girl couldn't tell whether Nemne had a problem or not. "Is that right? You've been out for a stroll?" She asked. Nemne nodded at her friend's question. "It sure was hot while I was, err, walking around the castle, but it was pretty quiet and cool when I walked by the lake, though."

"I see. Would you like to sit with me over there?" Sisuca asked, pointing at one of the tables near the kitchen. "I have another song I thought about and I was hoping you'd listen to it."

Nemne's face brightened. "Really? That's great! Of course I'd listen to it!" The pink Porpos loved chatting with Sisuca about songs they made up. "I just made up one too, about the lake just a while ago!"

Sisuca smiled as the two of them began walking over the tables. "I wrote mine down again; I might forget them like the other time." A familiar memory came into the black-haired girl's mind.

The Porpos girl laughed as she recalled the same memory. One time before, Sisuca made up a song in her mind that she couldn't help but feel awestruck how the lyrics fit the tune so well. She became so excited to tell Nemne that the excitement took over her and she forgot most of the lyrics she came up with as soon as she had the chance to speak with the Porpos girl. Luckily, she still recalled how the tune went, but she still felt regretful that she was unable to write down the lyrics of her song. Since then, she made it a habit to write down the lyrics of the songs she came up with. Nemne didn't need to write her songs down, since she sang her songs on the spot.

"I can't wait to hear how it goes! I wonder what it's about!" Nemne spoke cheerfully. Before they both knew it, they had arrived at the table and Nemne sat down first before Sisuca, who sat on the other chair in front of her friend. Sisuca pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Nemne, who received it with a smile. "Is this the one you made today?" She asked, reading over the words written on the note.

"Yes," Sisuca answered. "And… Oh, I just remembered something!"

Nemne looked up from the paper she was reading from. "What is it?"

"That sandwich recipe I taught you before," The black-haired girl stated, "Was it good?"

Nemne blinked. "What are you… Oh!" She then realized. Sisuca was there earlier when she and Wustum had the dispute that started with Nemne asking the chef for some foodstuffs she needed to make the sandwich a few hours back. She also knew that she was there earlier when she was making it. It tasted good, Nemne admitted, but it wasn't just that…

"Yeah," She replied, a light, pink blush appearing on her cheeks and smiled gleefully as she recalled watching Nomno a while ago. "That really made my day, you know?" She added, looking back down at the note she held. Sisuca couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the Porpos, wondering how in the world a simple sandwich recipe was enough to make her so happy.

* * *

A/N: Whew! Chapter 2… And what's more, I'm already working on Chapter 3, even though I have this **HUGE** writer's block somewhere in the middle of the next chapter, which is keeping me from getting it done! X( Wait, wait… -calms down- It's best to take my time; we should always try to take everything nice and slow or else it'll go bad…

Moving on to my rant about today's current chapter… This chapter was originally supposed to be about something else, but I decided to put that off for a later chapter. I retained a part about Nomno's snoring, and the setting from the first draft (midday, at the harbor, then later at the dining hall).

Somehow I feel that the Nemne in this chapter is more similar to the Nemne in the game at the third part of the chapter (the one where she's with Sisuca, in case you didn't know). I probably made her really OOC since I revised the last chapter (Dammit… -smacks forehead-). But since she is (according to a certain Suikoden website her Star indicates this) a teenage girl, I tried to get her more into the character of a teenager with a crush on someone (and who doesn't want other people to know because she's afraid that people will tease her). At the same time, I try to keep her personality in the game as well.

And those songs at the first part… (ARGH!) Okay, okay. Since Nemne loved singing and she usually sang songs she makes up on the spot (which were also strange at the same time), I tried to put myself in her place and thought up a bunch of phrases that both sounded tacky and weird yet at the same time focused on one thing (which was crap about happiness and unity and… Blah).

And that song I thought about while I was writing down a certain quote in the story… I couldn't help myself. XD

Okay, what else do I need to say… I removed my A/N in the chapter; someone told me putting A/N there's like trying to make up for how bad people write or something similar to that. Thanks!

I feel good but unsure about this chapter. What do you think?

Thanks for reading! -Zip


	3. Misinterpreted

A/N: Welcome, readers, to Affliction! I've finally made it into the third chapter of this story… And the story will follow the glue incident mission arc (the one with Yovel, Numnu, and Autar), until the next chapter, since I've realized I'm slowly running out of ideas. This one happens in that underwater world people will be sent to find the Squidcreeper! XD

I swear; I have gone through a hell hole getting this chapter done with. I have gone to various people, asking for advice about the fic and asking if it was good enough already. Not that it was all that rough; I met a friend along the way and, other than the fact that he's an avid Neira fanatic, he's certainly taught me something important when it comes to characters being a little OOC at times. It's kind of the same as saying that not everyone is what they seem to be most of the time. Of course, I can't always take it TOO far or else I'll turn up creating a new character out of the ones I'm trying to portray…

Let's get on with the fic (since I'm out of stuff to say for now)!

Disclaimer: I don't own Suikoden Tierkreis.

* * *

This underwater world was just like any other ocean or sea anyone dived into. It had fish, it was wet, and there was the usual predatory wild animal that scoured the ocean for food. Finding treasure was also possible, but it was quite unlikely anyone would ever come back to shore with it alive; monsters were just as abundant as there were on land. Speaking of land, the only land anyone was ever going to find in that world was nothing but a small island with a Gateway that led into the Corridors or back to Castle 108 Stars.

Nemne, along with her fellow Porpos-kin, Nimni and Nomno, was sent on a mission by their leader to this underwater world. According to their leader, Yovel's mask had been mysteriously glued stuck to his face. Apparently, the adhesive used was one Balsam used in his experiments, and the old scientist said that the only way to remove the mask was using the sap from a monster called Squidcreeper, which lived in that same underwater world they were in. Now they were sent there by their leader to find it, and bring back its sap so Yovel can use it to remove the mask from his face.

Speaking of Yovel, the boy did come along with the three Porpos-kin in their mission, but after finding out that they would have to swim for days on end just to find the Squidcreeper, he decided to head back to the castle instead and wait for them to return. He was a bit frustrated, though, because while the three of them were out on the quest, he was just sitting back at the castle waiting. But what was more important to them was that they find the Squidcreeper, obtain its sap, and remove the mask as soon as they can.

* * *

Two days had passed since the three Porposes set out to find their mark. They found a dry cavern after following an underwater passage, and as soon as they arrived there, Nomno came out of the water first, going to a dry part of the small cave to fall asleep. Nimni and Nemne came out soon after, and after the two of them sat next to a large boulder, Nemne treated a wound her commander sustained on his shoulder when the trio was fighting a group of monsters earlier.

Nimni winced at the pain and gritted his teeth. Nemne paused but kept the medicine above his wound. "Does it hurt, Commander?" She asked. He gulped at the medicine's stinging effects. "I'll be alright," He told her, and after a shrug from the Porpos girl, he gritted his teeth in pain again as she carefully applied the medicine.

When she finished, she carefully wrapped his shoulder down to his upper arm. "There we go~ Good as new~" She sang and gave his shoulder a light tap.

"Thank you," Nimni said, and Nemne beamed her commander a smile. "Always happy to help~" She sang, and began putting back the bandages and medicine inside her pack. She found a few sticks nearby, and, after piling them up and applying friction on them, she started a small campfire before walking back to Nimni and sitting next to the blue Porpos.

"So," She said, trying to start a conversation with him, "Nomno's pretty tired after what happened." She glanced towards the said Porpos, who was on his back and sleeping soundly in the distance. The three of them fought against a wily group of monsters they encountered earlier; the same ones that gave Nimni his wound. After fighting them off for a while, they eventually went away and the three Porpos warriors had to find a safe haven so they would be able to treat Nimni's wound and lay low until the monsters' excitement died down. It was during that point in time that they discovered the passage that led to the cavern, and it was decided that they rest there for the night, as the ocean was also becoming darker.

"He is, isn't he?" Nimni replied as he cast his eyes towards Nomno as well. "Those monsters we fought were certainly tough…" Nemne nodded in agreement. They noticed that the further they swam, the stronger the monsters they encountered became. Nimni also hoped that they find their mark as soon as possible, so they can hurry back to the castle, remove Yovel's mask from his face, and never have to come back to this forsaken world ever again.

Nemne yawned. "I'm tired too…" She said and leaned against the boulder behind them. "We've been swimming and fighting monsters all day, you know?"

"Yes," Nimni agreed. "We should take this opportunity to conserve our strength for tomorrow…" He leaned against the boulder but winced again as his wound stung. He placed his free hand over his bandaged shoulder and added, "And hopefully my wound will have healed by then…"

Nemne gave him a worried look. "Your wound's not going to heal if you keep moving a lot…"

Nimni sighed as the pain slowly faded. "I know," He said and put his hand down. "Thank you, though, for your concern."

"You're welcome," She told him.

* * *

The cavern became quiet after the two ended their conversation, although the campfire made crackling noises and Nomno's snoring echoed inside the cave. Nimni's eyes were on the water, obviously on guard for anything that may come out and attack them. Nemne, who was humming a tune of another song she made up, had taken out some vegetables she kept in her pack and began roasting them over the fire. They were soggy after being exposed to water for a long time, but still edible nonetheless.

"What are you thinking about~?" Nemne asked the blue Porpos staring into the water and approached him. He turned his head towards her and replied, "I'm keeping watch should anything attack us."

"Those monsters are too big to fit through the passage~" She sang as she sat down next to him again. The passage was narrow, she remembered, but big enough for the three of them to swim through. Maybe the monsters would fit, but just one would be enough to clog the entryway; if that happened then how would they get out?

"It's best to be safe than sorry," He said. She couldn't argue with that. "What are you cooking?" He asked, his eyes now on the food being roasted over the fire.

"Some vegetables I brought along~" She replied, looking up at the ceiling. "The water probably made it really salty~ But we can still eat them~ … I think." She spoke the last part with a sweatdrop.

"It's better than eating nothing, I suppose." He turned his eyes back to the water. Nemne agreed.

"We haven't eaten a decent meal since we left," She told him as she placed a hand to her stomach. "I'm sure Nomno's gonna head straight to the dining hall once we get back to the castle." She giggled softly as she glanced towards the sleeping Porpos. She imagined Nomno coming out of the Gateway first, then walking all the way to the dining hall and not caring at all if there was anyone in the way. After that he would sit down, ask (technically snore) for some food, and eat a heaping load of Wustum's cooking.

Nimni let out a chuckle. "I'm quite certain as you are."

"What we have will have to do~" She stood up and walked towards the fire to check on the roasting vegetables. A thought suddenly came to mind and she faced her commander. "If I had known that we'd end up at a place like this, then I would've tried catching some fish on the way." She swallowed her saliva at the thought of having to eat fish.

"Nemne," He began, "We're not here to catch fish; we're here to find the Squidcreeper and return with its sap."

"I know that." She put her hands behind her back before twirling around to face the campfire. She picked up a stick and prodded the vegetables with it. As she did, her stomach made a low rumble. "I'm just hungry, that's all." She put the stick down and warmed herself by the fire.

"I'm hungry as well…" Nimni uttered before swallowing saliva in an attempt to quench his hunger. As if on cue, Nemne stood up and went over to her pack, which lay just beside Nimni. She picked it up, opened it, and slipped a hand inside to rummage through the things she brought along with her. It wasn't long before she pulled out some cherries, and Nimni blinked as the pink Porpos showed him the small red fruits in her hand.

"I almost forgot I had these," Nemne stated with a grin. "Have some, Commander."

Nimni's eyes were now on the cherries she showed him and he examined them. He then took one in his hands, inserted it in his mouth, and ate it. The cherry's juices left a sweet, fruity aftertaste on the blue Porpos' tongue, and he smiled in content. When he finished eating, he looked up at Nemne, who was watching him, and said, "May Ninulneda bless you for your generosity."

"Thank you, sir," Nemne replied, and was about to say something more when Nomno approached her from behind and placed a hand to her shoulder. She yelped in surprise, but after seeing that it was just him, she breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Nomno, don't scare me like that…" She said before turning to face him completely. Nemne studied his face and could see that he was somehow trying to ask her something. "What is it?" She asked him. What came as a reply was not a snore from the gray Porpos, but instead, the sound of his stomach rumbling. Nimni sweatdropped as he saw how similar the two of them were while Nemne realized that the gray Porpos was asking for some food.

"Here, have some~" She showed him the cherries she held. With a sheepish grin, Nomno took a few from her hand, opened his mouth, and tossed them in before eating them. He licked his lips in satisfaction, and snored, "Zzzz." Nemne knew that he was thanking her, and she gave him a nod. "You're welcome~" She sang, and saw him point at the fire behind her with a snore. Nemne turned back to what would be their dinner, and she guessed that perhaps he was asking if the food was ready yet.

"It'll be ready soon~" She sang in reassurance as she turned back to him. He placed his hands inside his teal sash as he felt the low rumble his hungry stomach made. "Zzzz…" He walked away from the fire and sat a short distance away from Nimni with the intention of sleeping until the food was cooked.

* * *

After the three of them ate their share of vegetables, Nomno went back to sleep; this time he sat with his fellow Porpos-kin. Nimni continued to stay up and kept on watch for any monsters that could possibly come out of the water and ambush them while they were sleeping. Nemne sat in between the two of them, and she would also turn in early as well since they still had to find the Squidcreeper tomorrow, though she would take over for Nimni should he become tired from keeping watch.

She glanced towards Nimni, whose head turned away from her, and Nomno, who slept soundly. The presence of her companions gave her a feeling of security, especially in a place such as this. An underwater world without any sign of civilization was kind of depressing to her. She wondered, though, if there were any Porpos-kin in this world, but after going on for two days meeting nothing but monsters was enough to tell her that she shouldn't get too hopeful about finding any of her kind in this world, except for Nimni and Nomno, of course.

Speaking of her fellow Porpos-kin, she found the three of them to be a kind of family. It wasn't one where they felt like siblings to one another, but it was more focused on the three of them usually being together and fighting side by side. They did a lot of things together, even before they joined the Company. However, with Nemne's growing feelings for Nomno, she began to distance herself from Nimni, who strangely was doing the same thing. Now that she thought about it, their conversations earlier were the first ones she had with him in weeks.

She opened her eyes, the first thing she saw being the campfire. It didn't feel that much time had passed since she tried going to sleep. She turned to her right, where Nomno sat and slept. He yawned loudly before leaning on her shoulder, much to her surprise. He nuzzled his cheek against her shoulder, causing her to blush red at his movement and the fact that he was finding comfort with her presence. She noticed that he also felt cold, so perhaps he sought warmth from her, who was at the same time heating up because of the blush on her face.

She could tell that he slept comfortably, as his snores were calm and peaceful. At that point, she felt jealous of him, mostly because he was able to sleep well despite the fact they were in a place such as this dark cavern they stayed in. She sighed.

"Can't you sleep?" Asked Nimni, who turned at the sound of her sigh. She looked at the blue Porpos and replied, "No… I've been thinking about a lot of stuff… You know?" As she said those words, her blush deepened; thoughts regarding Nomno entered her mind again and, at the same time, the said Porpos shifted again in his sleep. The friction he was making as he rubbed his cheek comfortably against her shoulder was enough to say why.

"I see," He said and turned his eyes to the fire. "I have a lot of things I have been thinking about as well…" He told her, his voice sounding a little depressed. He turned towards the pink Porpos, and his eyes blinked as he saw her face. "Are you alright?"

"Yes…" But just as she was about to continue, she stopped when she saw that he was gazing fixedly upon her face. "Wh… Why are you asking?" She asked, her cheeks heating up and her blush becoming redder. She hoped that he didn't see the blush she had, but the hand he raised to her cheek made it all clear enough; he saw it.

"Your face is red and you're heating up… Are you becoming sick?" His voice was full of genuine concern, reminding her a bit of Sisuca the other day; the only difference was Nimni was the one who was concerned for her.

Nemne gulped. "I…" She absently put a hand over his as her black eyes met his teal ones. Her heart beat nervously as she tried to say something, but for some reason, her mouth remained agape and she found herself at a loss for words. He remained still, though his hand was feeling the warmth on her face and was stroking her cheek with his thumb, which caused her to blush deeper and sent chills down the Porpos girl's spine. The light from the nearby campfire made his eyes sparkle, and it gave him a dreamy look which made it near impossible for Nemne to turn away.

Nemne continued to return Nimni's gaze with half-lidded eyes. Her vision became hazy, and she began to feel unusually light-headed. Somehow, she could hear faint voices in her head; though they were weak at first, it wasn't long before something in her mind clicked, and she took notice of the red flags she ignored, the warning signs she passed by, and the voices in her head telling her that she just walked straight into something she will regret ever going into.

The pink Porpos' eyes widened at once, and Nemne snapped back from her trance before she pulled away from his touch. She placed a hand to her chest, and she could feel her heart beating at an alarming rate.

_Oh, no… What am I doing?_

For a few seconds, she continued to look upon her commander's face, and then she turned away with her eyes cast down on the ground. Her face became completely red as she let out her breath after what felt like a long time of holding it in. Nimni was startled at her sudden gesture, but he also seemed as though he hadn't realized what he did just now.

It took a few moments for the blue Porpos to take in what just transpired between him and his comrade, and a blush reddened his cheeks. "A-Ah… Nemne, I'm…" He pulled the hand he used to touch her face away from view and looked down on the ground. "I… I didn't mean to… I-I'm… I'm sorry…" He gulped, mentally smacking himself on the forehead for doing such a thing, especially to someone who was his comrade. Why else wouldn't her face be heating up like that with every second? He just put a hand to her face, damn it!

"Um… It's alright, Commander…" She stuttered out. "I know that you didn't mean to… Err… You know…" She gulped, and was about to say something to him again. However, the thought of their moment just now seemed to render the pink Porpos speechless, and she decided to close her mouth and keep quiet just like her commander, who now turned away from her in embarrassment.

* * *

Nemne and Nimni became silent after their unexpected moment, and the two of them were obviously feeling embarrassed. Nimni had scooted a small distance away from both Nemne and Nomno, and returned to keeping watch for monsters. Nemne was wide awake now, unable to sleep because of what happened. Her eyes were fixed upon the fire as she was drowned in her thoughts, and Nomno had leaned back against the boulder behind the two of them after leaning on her shoulder.

Nemne thought about earlier, and she placed a hand to her cheek, where she could still feel the warm touch of Nimni's hand. It was something that took her completely by surprise. She didn't expect her commander to suddenly put a hand to her cheek like that, especially after saying how concerned he was for her health. What was more surprising, though, was that his hand was on her face for what was probably a long time, and he didn't pull it away; he just kept it there and even stroked her cheek with his thumb. And that look he had on his face… She blushed again. She couldn't explain why, but somehow, his face looked as though he was longing for something he wanted… Or perhaps needed.

She felt her cheeks heat up as she recalled how she felt. Those feelings that came from Nimni touching her cheek were just about the same as the feelings she had whenever she was with Nomno. They both made her heart race, made her blush, and both were enough to send her reeling like crazy. And she reacted just the same way (maybe even more) she did when Nomno snuggled against her earlier.

Then, in the span of a few seconds, a question popped inside the girl's mind…

Why was she having emotions for Nimni that were similar to the ones she felt for Nomno?

It felt strange to her. Now that she thought about it, how come she didn't stop him from stroking her face earlier? In fact, _why did he even stroke her face just now?_ She could've just raised a hand to stop him before his hand came into contact with her face, but she did no such thing; she let him do it, as though she did not mind at all (though she did soon after).

She had to wonder, though; did she actually _like_ Nimni? And what did he think about her? Did he… Did he actually like her as well?

Nemne froze and her eyes widened as she stared at the fire; the word "like" echoed in her head for what lasted a full minute before dispersing. Once it did, she lowered her head immediately and shook it wildly in an attempt to force the idea of being paired up with Nimni out of her mind. She liked Nomno! How could she possibly like Nimni when she liked Nomno? Unless she was more attracted to Nimni than she was with Nomno this entire time… But how was that even possible? She liked Nomno for a long time since they spent more time together and Nimni… He, well… He made her feel like that just earlier. Besides, he said that he didn't mean anything by what he did, so she had no reason to feel this way… And yet…

Those eyes made her feel like he was trying to tell her something.

She slumped against the boulder behind her and began to compare her emotions for Nimni and Nomno. Somehow, she couldn't help but feel guilty, since she had these emotions for Nimni as well. It was like she had betrayed Nomno in a way; she felt like she was cheating on the gray Porpos. She wondered if that was even called cheating, because she and Nomno never went out on any—she gulped and put a hand to her head at the thought—dates, or did anything like call each other sweethearts and other sappy names (even though Nemne's the only one who can practically say anything if they ever did).

She peered to her left, where Nimni was sitting by himself and staring at the water. It seemed as though he was lost in thought, and he put his hand to the ground and began tracing his finger on the sand. She couldn't see what it was he wrote. He looked down at it, made a grunt, then smudged it with the palm of his hand before turning back to the water and letting out a crestfallen sigh.

What was he thinking about?

Before she began guessing the possible things that would probably cross the blue Porpos' mind at that moment, she noticed that he seemed to be shivering, and she could hear the faint chatter of teeth from where he sat. At this, she blinked, and she wondered if he was feeling alright. It was already bad enough that he had a wound to recover from.

Ignoring her thoughts about what happened between them and her feelings for Nimni and Nomno, she opened her mouth and asked, "Commander, are you okay?"

Her voice reverberated throughout the cavern's silence, stunning Nimni from his thoughts. Nimni straightened himself, and spun his head around to look at her; he seemed to be surprised to see that she was still awake.

He regained his composure quickly, as he realized that she had just asked him a question. "O-Oh…" He started, "I'm alright, thank you." He then turned his head away and looked down at his feet. At the same time, Nemne couldn't help but feel concerned despite his answer. Somehow, she felt that his reply sounded more like he was hiding something from her instead of reassuring her that he was feeling well. It kind of reminded her of the first time Priestess Neira noticed her daydreaming about Nomno, and the time Sisuca saw her blushing and asked if she was well. It almost reminded her of… Herself.

"Are you sure?" She asked, her voice a bit worried this time. "Does your wound still hurt?"

"I'm certain, and…" Nimni looked down at his right shoulder, where Nemne wrapped the bandages over his wound when they arrived in the cavern. He lightly placed his left hand over it. It hurt a little, and he spoke, "I will be fine. My wound wasn't as bad as it was before, so… Please don't worry."

Even though he told her not to, Nemne just couldn't shake that feeling of concern for her commander. "If you say so…" Was all she could say, since she just can't simply force him to say whatever it was she really wanted him to tell her. His business was his and not hers; it was up to him whether he should tell her if he had a problem or not. And how was she even sure that he was keeping something from her? It wasn't like she was him or anything… And if he didn't want her to know, then she shouldn't press the issue any longer. She had a secret herself that she wished to keep, and she knew she would feel miserable if someone else did the same thing to her and prodded her for answers in an attempt to discover what her secrets were.

She sighed and put a hand to her head. Maybe it would just be better if she just went to sleep; all these thoughts were very tiresome, and she was going to need all the rest she was going to get since they still had to continue with their mission tomorrow.

She leaned her head against the boulder behind her and Nomno, and closed her eyes. It was quite hard to sleep when she had a lot of troubling thoughts in her mind, and again, she became jealous of the gray Porpos beside her. It was just one of those times when she wished that she would be able to sleep as comfortably as he does despite the fact something bothered her—

"Nemne?" Nimni called, breaking the silence and breaking Nemne away from her thoughts. She opened her eyes, and looked at the blue Porpos sitting in the distance. Nemne blinked when she saw that he didn't say anything more, and asked, "What is it?"

He didn't respond to her immediately. He lifted the hand he used to smear what he traced in the sand earlier—which happened to be the same hand he put to her face—and stared at his palm in silence. A few moments later, he put it down and his teal eyes looked back at the clear water. "Is it alright if I… Told you something?"

Nemne blinked at him. He was probably going to bring up something related to what happened between them earlier. But she never knew, so she answered, "Um… Sure, Commander… What is it?"

Just like before, he didn't answer at once. He was quiet as he stared into the water. It wasn't long until Nemne thought that perhaps he still felt unsure if he could trust her with keeping his secret or not, as another full minute had passed without either of them saying a word. She could also feel the slow tension growing in the atmosphere around them.

"Commander…?"

"N-No," He spoke, apparently having second thoughts. "Maybe I shouldn't… B-But then, I still feel that I should… But…"

The pink Porpos now had a worried look on her face as she watched the indecisive Nimni, who was noticeably torn between telling her his problem and keeping it a secret. It was obvious that either choice he would make would be something he would later regret doing. "Commander," She began, interrupting him and hoping that she would be able to calm him, "Whatever it is, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to…"

"No, I should," He blurted quickly, deciding that he tell her instead. "I should just tell you since… I might not get this chance again."

Nemne nodded slowly at her superior. She guessed that maybe he saw her as someone he knew that he could trust regarding his problem. She wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, since she was his comrade-in-arms for a long time now, and always assisted him as though she was his partner in all the years the two worked, trained, and battled side by side (with or without Nomno).

That or she would have gone to him if she felt the same; only problem was that Nimni was always busy, so she doubted she would ever get a chance to talk to him.

"Alright, Commander…" She said. "What is it, then?"

Nimni silently looked up the ceiling of the cavern, thinking of how he was going to explain it to her. "Nemne, I'm…" He started, then let out another sigh to fight away the nervousness he was feeling. He had every right to be; he was about to tell her something that even he would be shocked knowing if someone else told him a similar thing. "There's something I've been thinking a lot about lately… And…" He paused, trying to gather his words. "And… I've been meaning to tell you this… For a long time now…"

And for some odd reason, the Porpos girl's heart began to race again as a bead of sweat trickled down the side of her head. She held a hand to her pounding chest in an attempt to calm it down. A voice in her head began asking questions, one after the other making her heart beat even faster: Was he really going to do what she thought he was about to do? Was he going to tell her something she never thought he'd ever say? Was she going to hear a certain three-word sentence from the one person she never thought she would ever hear those words from?

_…No, wait…_ She could never tell, really. And besides, he hasn't said anything yet, has he?

"Nemne…" He spoke her name again, anxiety evident in the tone of his voice despite his attempts to keep himself composed. At the same time, Nemne's temperature rose, and her white cheeks became red as the heat she emitted from her body made her sweat. She watched him intently, half-anticipating and half-fearing what her commander was about to tell her.

It became quiet between them. Despite the crackling fire and Nomno's snoring, the only things Nemne was able to hear now were the sound of her heart thumping in a steady but uneasy rhythm, and her commander's heavy breathing. She saw him pick up a nearby stone, throw it into the water, where it skipped across the surface before sinking. After a few seconds, he sighed loudly. There were various times before that he was easily shaken by small problems, but Nemne had never seen him so nervous before about anything until now.

"…There's someone I'm in love with," Nimni finally admitted after gathering enough courage to speak to his fellow Porpos. Nemne could almost swear her heart stopped as her breath got caught in her throat. She clutched the edge of her collar and used it to fan herself, for the heat she felt was becoming unbearable just as the suspense was. She was becoming even more nervous now; why wouldn't she? Her commander just said that he was in love with someone. What's more, she suspected that he was most likely in love with her, and she loved—_err_, liked Nomno more than him.

"But…"

The conjunction she heard him say was enough to snap her out of her thoughts as she tightly gripped the white collar of her pink clothes. "But…?" She asked, quietly pleading with a bit of hesitation that he continue with what he was about to say when she noticed that he became silent again.

"But she is…" He gulped and he wiped his sweating palm on his other arm. "I don't deserve to love her, but… Nemne, I…" Nimni's voice was shaking now, as though he feared what would happen if he told her. He was beginning to have second thoughts about continuing the conversation as an uneasy feeling welled up in his stomach.

The pink Porpos looked down at her legs, which were cold and stiff due to the anxiety she felt, and began to organize her thoughts. If Nimni truly was in love with Nemne, and if he were to admit his feelings for her (if he ever had any), then Nemne would be immediately thrown into a dilemma that involved having to choose between Nimni and Nomno. She knew that having two love interests was something she will have a hard time dealing with, especially if the way she felt for the two of them were similar.

Nemne liked Nomno, and she knew it. Although she was unable to say why she liked him, she liked him nonetheless. But if she were to name one thing about Nomno that she liked, then it was this: He, whether he ate, slept, snored, or whatever, was able to make her smile, no matter how depressed she felt about something. It could already be a possible reason why she liked the gray Porpos, but even that didn't seem to be the answer to why she liked him.

Nimni, on the other hand, was her commander. She couldn't imagine herself with him. She might, though, but only as his subordinate and his ally; nothing else. But seeing herself going out with him as though they had a relationship was something awkward to her. Before they joined the Company, yes, they both spent a lot of time together (even though Nomno wasn't around), but the two of them never did things lovers did to one another. She never saw him as something else… She always saw him as her commander, whom she not only supported, but fought with, as his right-hand Porpos whenever they went into battle. She couldn't find any reason why she would like him other than the fact that he was a great leader and a respected warrior among the Porpos-kin.

But the way he made her feel earlier was enough to make her reconsider her feelings for the blue Porpos. And it wasn't like she had any valid reasons why she liked Nomno too, did she?

Though it was true that Nemne never held any feelings for Nimni until recently, it did make more sense that she was to find more interest with him instead of Nomno. And there were a number of reasons why: Nomno spoke only with snores, making it hard for anyone at all to truly understand him; Nimni, though, spoke clear words just like her and anyone else in the Company, and she would be able to hear from him things about himself. Nomno ate like crazy; Nimni ate properly and neatly. Nomno was mostly blank and clueless; Nimni was swift and alert. Nomno always ate and slept; Nimni worked and trained hard. Finally, Nomno was lazy and easy-going; Nimni, even if there were times that he felt timid and nervous (like he was now), was brave and responsible. In fact, to just like Nimni more than Nomno was completely rational in just about every possible way.

Yes, one would say that Nemne was better off with Nimni than she was with Nomno. Be with someone smart instead of a naive fool; a girl like her deserved someone better than some lazy bum who slept for weeks on end, woke up only when he was hungry, and ate like a pig. Everyone around her would be able to accept it since it was more reasonable than having a relationship with someone like Nomno.

At the same time, it was also stupid if she were to pursue a relationship with her commander just because people thought it was better and more sensible, and if she was only doing it because he managed to make her heart leap just because he put a hand to her face.

And if that was how it was going to be, then did it also mean that she had to reject the blue Porpos' love for her (if he ever says it was her) and leave him heartbroken? If she did accept Nimni's love, then what about her love for Nomno? Would it become meaningless after all this time?

After some time of silence and after Nimni stopped himself from continuing his statement any further out of anxiety, Nemne became frustrated. Not only did the thought of having to choose between Nimni and Nomno made her head hurt and made her feel so confused, but she couldn't take any more of the suspense of not knowing whether Nimni was going to say it was her or some other girl she could care less about. If it was her, then would he just say it already so she wouldn't have to—

"It's Priestess Neira," He said quickly, interrupting the pink Porpos from her inner tantrum and cooling her temper before she could make an outburst. As soon as she heard the Naineneis priestess' name, her black eyes widened in disbelief; the commander _was_ kidding, wasn't he? But he sounded too serious to seem like he was messing around…

"Wh… What?" She stuttered, hoping that Nimni didn't really say that he was in love with the Priestess, and that she was just imagining what she just heard. Nimni, _in love_ with Priestess Neira? You must be joking…

"I said it's…" He cringed. "Priestess… Neira…" He spoke the last two words in a whisper, but it was loud enough for Nemne to hear. The look on Nemne's face was full of astonishment, and she couldn't believe what he just said; her commander, whom she thought liked her, was actually in love with none other than the Priestess of the sea god Ninulneda, Lady Neira. And that stroke he made with his thumb on her cheek earlier was actually meant for the white Porpos and perhaps, for a fleeting moment, Nimni thought that she was Neira. It was like someone came in and smacked her across the face for thinking that the blue Porpos ever had any feelings for her and for having emotions for him which were similar to the ones she had for Nomno, though they were brief and short.

After recovering from her shock, she shook her head in an attempt to regain her senses. Part of her was completely relieved to know that Nimni wasn't in love with her this entire time; another was now concerned for the blue Porpos, because she knew that his feelings were for a pious woman whose life was dedicated to serving their sea god.

"How… How long have you felt this way about her?" She asked, doing her best to keep calm despite her commander's unbelievable revelation.

"…Since… The day I first met her," He answered. "And that… Was several years ago, when I was… Just a child…"

* * *

A/N: Aaand, here's Chapter 3! **_Here's what I think of the Nemne/Nimni pairing!_**

…Okay. I did some small editing, since can't believe I **repeated** a paragraph in the chapter! X( It was just a minor thing, but it's still irritating, **_because I can't believe I didn't see that earlier_**! -smacks head on desk until desk breaks- …Alright, so anyway…Thanks to Wyl for pointing out that minor (but to me it's **EXTREMELY MAJOR**) correction before a considerably large amount of time has passed (because by then I can't stand to think of the number of people who have seen that tiny little mistake which I can't forgive myself for not correcting before I posted the chapter).

After I finished the first draft of this chapter, I immediately went to revising it. And after a bit of help, I've finally done it… And according to the game, it said that the Squidcreeper was in an underwater world, so I pictured this **_underwater world_** as a place full of nothing but ocean, monsters, and having only one island (the one that has the Gateway).

So, this chapter was originally much longer than it is now. I separated the chapter instead (this was more than 10, 000 words long then), and though I normally wouldn't feel like doing that because I think it's unnecessary, I still changed it anyway (although the chapter feels shorter), for a dramatic effect, lol. =P

The way I see it, yes, it's another one of those stereotypical _having-to-choose-between-two-people-you-like_, and the _finding-out-this-guy-you-thought-liked-you-actually-likes-someone-else_. The only difference is it's between the Porpos-kin, and, **holy crap, Nimni's in love with Neira!** (The truth behind why she's part of the Neira-Eusmil-Resno trio combo **_SECRET CRUSH! _**LOL XDDDDDDDD It's probably the other way around and that Nimni should be in it, BUT WHO CARES!)

Speaking of the Nimni/Neira thing, I also thought about it while I was playing the game. It kind of reminded me of the so-called Teresa/Shin pairing back in Suikoden II (Hey, it's possible, lol), but that's not the reason why I made this pairing up either. At the same time, I was also thinking of the possibility of Namna/Neira, but I saw that Namna's relationship with Neira was more on his over-protectiveness for her. So that's not really affection; it was more like, oh, I dunno… **EXTREME STALKING! **(LOL, imagine if Neira has to use the bathroom and Namna's always following her XD ROFL)

I'm also pretty sure there are some people who actually thought of a possible Nemne/Nimni pairing while they were playing the game. Well, guess what? I did too, but then I saw that Nemne was better off with Nomno (their peculiarities seem to make them look cuter as a pairing), and Nimni was better off with someone… That has an _elegant_ aura about; you know what I mean? (Not that I'm implying anything mean…) And in my opinion, hell, he looks better paired off with Neira. (What do you mean he's better off with Namna! **THAT'S FREAKING SICK!**)

I'm pretty sure some people are wondering how in the _hell_ is Nemne able to fight underwater with a boomerang. Well… She's using knives in this mission, lol. (If they're having battles on land, well, I'll just make her use the boomerang. Easy explanation, right? Of course, she stabs her enemies instead of throwing the knives, so that's probably enough to explain how she's able to fight with throwing knives underwater…)

As for the castle's name, calling it 108 Stars Castle felt kind of cool (in fact the Company's name is Tierkreis Company, lol), but I might not mention the name of the castle and company a lot. And for the name of the hero, well… I might not reveal that either. I might, but probably much later.

So, if anyone's wondering why Nemne's really shocked about knowing Nimni loves Neira, well, all I can say is, you won't know that until I post the next chapter (But if you already have a guess, then… Please don't say it out loud. XD).

Thanks to _Spirit Seer, Wyl,_ and everyone who gave me good ideas to help me with getting over my writer's block in the middle of the chapter, along with other things (such as ideas on how to write certain parts of the chapter).

What do you guys think?

Thanks for reading! -Zip


	4. A Losing Battle

A/N: Welcome, readers, to Affliction! Even I can't believe that I've reached the 4th chapter of this fic… **AFTER 8 MONTHS OF HIATUS!** But what's more unbelievable in my opinion is that I **ACTUALLY** finished this chapter! Anyway, after having my previous chapter continually previewed by several people, I've decided that I do the same thing to most of my upcoming chapters (I didn't say all, okay, because there's certainly one I won't have anyone see before I post it =P But who knows? XD).

Anyway… This chapter's full of flashbacks! And just to help you people, the first, third, and fifth part are flashbacks. The rest go back to the underwater world setting.

I can't stop laughing at the lines where I made references to other Suikoden games, lol. XD Where are they? They're in the story; I'm sure you'll find them once you see them… XD

Now, on with the fic! I suggest you brace yourselves, because this is gonna be one LONG chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Suikoden Tierkreis.

* * *

Just to the west of the shell-enclosed town of Naineneis was the Naineneis Coastline, a beach which led to the nearby steam-filled Coastal Cave, where hot springs gushed from the ground. The beach and the cavern were known to the inhabitants of the Porpos populated town as the training field of the Porpos-kin warriors and where Porpos warriors go to prove their bravery throughout the tribe, respectively. Other than those, the beach was known for a place of rest and relaxation, and the cave was the same—the only difference was that one way or another, anyone heading for the hot springs was sure to encounter at least one group of monsters on his way there.

And for two Porposes, the beach was not only where they could relax and take a load off, but it was also where they would spend the day together alone and they would get to know each other a little better.

…Or at least, that was what _his_ father thought.

A young and quiet Nimni stood on the sandy beach, his face blank and near-expressionless as he took in the sea breeze and stared out into the ocean in silence. His father, who was just behind him, approached him and put a hand to the boy's shoulder.

"Today's a nice day, isn't it?" He asked before mimicking his son's actions and he turned his eyes towards the ocean.

Nimni kept his eyes on the ocean but did not look up at the elder Porpos. The boy nodded in response. His father smiled at him warmly as he looked down at the Porpos child.

"Well, let me just set things up here," He said as he put his hand down and walked back to the checkered blanket he lay on the sand. "How about you go and take a little walk, Nimni? You could use the exercise; you're always indoors, and I'm sure it will do you some good. Just don't wander off too far, alright?"

He spoke nothing but gave a silent nod, and began walking away from him quietly, following the shoreline as he did.

He lowered his head and cast his eyes on the sand as he thought about what he and his father were doing for that day: having a picnic at the seashore. It was one of the few times he ever spent time with his father. After his mother passed away, he noticed that his father became suddenly so endearing to him. A possible reason was because he felt guilty; he was spending too much time training with the Naineneis warriors that he barely had time—_no_, he barely _made_ time for his family. And when his wife—Nimni's mother—died, all he could do was weep and mourn regretfully for not being there when she and their child needed them the most.

Nimni was struck the hardest when his mother died; since his father was always away training, he, obviously, grew close to his quiet mother, who at times told him of how she wished his father would spend more time with their family every once in a while. Nimni was also quite the timid child, so he barely made any friends to talk to. And instead of finding comfort with friends when he had problems, he found comfort with his mother, who, in turn, gave him the comfort he wanted. It was only natural, especially for a child like him, that he became traumatized when he found out his mother, who he could even call the only friend he ever had, died because her depression regarding her husband's absence overtook her, made her ill, and was what eventually killed her.

As for his relationship with his father, well, he couldn't really say that he didn't forgive him, nor can he say that he hated him. True, it was mostly his fault that his mother, his only friend, was now dead (her sickness did the rest), and that if it weren't for him being so selfish and if he wasn't always out training for whatever reason at all, then maybe, _just maybe_, it would have lifted the burden she had, and she would still be alive now. But even so, the man was still his father, and he, along with his mother, was the reason he existed in the first place. He never wanted her to die, nor did he intend to slowly kill her by leaving her so depressed because of his absence. So he cannot truly hate him, for he was the one who brought happiness to his mother's life, even when he wasn't around most of the time. But that was still no reason for the blue Porpos to forgive his father for what he did, or, in this case, forgot to do.

After walking for some time, he stopped and faced the ocean. The weather was sunny, the sky was clear though there was the occasional cloud or two, and the ocean wasn't as wild as it would be on stormy days. As his father said, he barely left the house, so he hardly ever saw much outside Naineneis. He looked down again and saw how the waves lapped at his feet before returning to the ocean where it came. It felt relaxing to him; it was as if he was being cleansed of his troubles. It also made him a tad bit sleepy; it kind of made him feel like that Porpos boy who always slept for a long time.

He scratched the side of his head. _What was his name again?_ He asked himself. He really needed to get out more…

A long branch drifted along with the waves and washed up next to his feet. Nimni, out of curiosity, bent down and picked up the foreign object. He tapped it on the sand a few times and drew random figures on the sand. When he finished, he followed the shoreline again, tapping the sand with it as he walked.

As he followed a path that led away from the shore and he didn't notice the atmosphere around him darken as the vivid memories he had with his mother entered the blue Porpos' mind. His stoic expression became a frown, and before long, he slipped a hand to the necklace around his neck that had four teal, comma-shaped beads. He then remembered the day when his mother taught him how to make it; she would tell him what to do, while he would follow her instructions the best way he could. Whenever he had become uncertain, she would give him a helping hand, and it wasn't long before he, along with her help, was able to craft the same necklace he wore.

He gazed upon the beads deeply. In them he could almost catch a reflection of his eyes, and somehow, it reminded him of his mother. How come it did, he wasn't sure; but perhaps it was because both his and her eyes were of the same color, and so were the beads on the necklace. At the same time, all the wonderful memories he spent with his mother slowly flooded his thoughts. With each memory, his control over his emotions weakened, and finally, he fell to his knees and wept as he brought his free hand close to his chest. At the same time, he absently lost his grip on the stick he held, and it fell to the ground with a clatter next to him.

_Y… You didn't deserve to die…_

As the tears he cried trickled down and streaked across his white cheeks, he was completely unaware of the other figure that slowly approached him from behind. It was only when he felt a gentle hand upon his blue shoulder did he look up and spun his head around, feeling slightly surprised amidst his feelings of sadness and depression. With his free hand, he wiped the tears from his eyes away with a sniffle, and he caught sight of a young white Porpos wearing a pink dress that had a prominent white "S" design looking down at him, her pink eyes full of concern for his behavior. Not only did Nimni stop crying, but he gazed up at the white figure that stood behind him in amazement.

_She…_ A voice in his mind spoke as his mouth remained agape at the sight of her. _She's so pretty…_

"Are you alright?" She spoke up, and he almost swore that his heart fluttered at the sound of her voice. Despite this, he managed to slowly nod in reply. She offered him her hand and helped the blue Porpos to his feet, who was at the same time wiping what was left of his tears with his arm. After he did, he looked around, and realized that he had already wandered into the nearby cavern. Looking past the white Porpos, he could see the entrance to the cave in the distance, and he looked back at her, who seemed to be watching him with a worried look on her face.

"Are you alright?" She asked, repeating her question. Nimni blinked, looking as though he had not heard her, but he nodded slowly after a while. The girl then pulled out a white handkerchief from her pocket before handing it to him.

"Here," She spoke, making her voice sound as reassuring as possible. Nimni looked down at the item being offered to him in slight curiosity, and it wasn't long before he accepted the item and he wiped what remained of his tears away from his eyes.

"T-Thank you," Nimni said as he returned the handkerchief back to its owner. "You're welcome," Was her reply, and she pocketed the handkerchief before turning her attention back to him.

"Would you tell me what you're doing here?" She asked. "I couldn't help but hear you crying…"

Nimni didn't respond immediately, as a low rumble echoed in the atmosphere and caused him to yelp in surprise. Looking around nervously, he gulped and asked, "W…What was t-that…?" His voice sounded shaky, and he leaped upwards with a cry when the rumbling grew a tad bit louder. He began to panic, squatted down, clenched his fists, and shut his eyes fiercely; the thought of a monster jumping in on them entered his mind and scared him like any other normal child who slept alone on a typical dark and stormy night with the thoughts of monsters under his bed, keeping him awake.

"I-I-I…" He stuttered, his body trembling as frightening thoughts of what could have possibly made the noise continued to strike fear into his heart. For a short time, he remained that way, until he felt a hand envelop one of his fists, causing him (despite his hesitation) to look up, and come into eye contact with the Porpos girl kneeling in front of him. Nimni's teal eyes stared into her pink ones, and, for some strange reason, he couldn't seem to turn away from her. He absently noticed that her hand felt warm and smooth, and—though he didn't know it—a light tinge of pink began to color his white cheeks as some kind of relieving feeling seemed to fill up within him.

It was as if he had forgotten why he was scared in the first place.

"Come on," She said, "Let's go somewhere safer before the monsters find us." Nimni unconsciously opened his hand, allowing her to slip her hand into his, and stood up before she began leading him towards a small spring just behind a few boulders nearby. They stopped in front of it, and she sat down first before she tugged at his hand and motioned for him to sit down next to her. Nimni, though reluctant, decided to do the same, for he might make her feel bad if he didn't.

"The monsters won't find us here," She said, taking a quick glance behind them to be certain that nothing had followed them. "Those big boulders will keep us from being seen if there's any around…"

She spoke something more, but Nimni did not hear her; he could not keep his eyes away from the white Porpos' hand, which was still locked with his. He continued to gaze quietly upon their intertwined hands, his face looking as though he was in some kind of daze as he continued to picture the white Porpos next to him in his mind. A warm feeling rushed from his hand, through his arm, and throughout his body, and, for the first time in his entire life, his heart raced for a reason other than fear.

"…You still haven't told me what you're doing here." Her voice snapped him out of his reverie, and Nimni turned his head slightly to look at her. He could feel his face heating up faster than his body, and he quickly averted his gaze towards the spring in front of them in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.

"…Um, I'm…" He started, "I'm here with my father, but… I didn't know I already walked in here just now…" He trailed off, and in his mind he asked himself how come he didn't notice that he already wandered into the cave they were in. Had he really been thinking too much that he hadn't been aware of what happened around him?

"Just your father?" She asked, a questioning look on her face. "What about your mother?"

Nimni froze, and just like before, memories of his deceased mother came to mind. He immediately fell silent, and he shook his head slowly, not gazing up to look at her as he kept his eyes on the spring's clear water. The white Porpos then seemed to have realized what appeared to have happened to him, which most likely explained why he was crying earlier.

"Oh… I'm…" He heard her gulp. "I'm sorry… I didn't know your mother had…" She stopped herself from continuing any further, as she now saw him shut his eyes, where tears began to form once more.

"It's… It's a-alright…" Nimni choked out as he was no longer able to restrain himself any further. "Y-You didn't mean… T-To… To…"

He couldn't say any more, as he ran out of words to say. He was never strong emotionally, and he couldn't help but feel ashamed of himself, because he was crying in front of someone he didn't know. He felt that maybe she was laughing at him even though she didn't show it, and it was only natural; men weren't supposed to cry often, and to cry in front of a girl was just the same as humiliating himself in front of various people.

This wasn't the case, however, as he began to hear the noise of ruffling clothes, and, before he even realized it, a pair of arms encircled him and pulled him into a tight embrace. Nimni's eyes snapped open at once, and he found himself in the arms of the Porpos girl. His face was filled with genuine surprise as he looked down at the figure that held him, and began to wonder how come she had the heart to do such a thing especially to someone whom she had only just met.

"Why…?" Nimni asked. "You don't… You don't even know—"

"The Priestess taught me once before that when someone feels bad or when they're crying," She said, interrupting him, "Others should always try to make them feel better, no matter who they are."

Nimni became silent as he pondered upon her words, and after a while, he rested his head upon her shoulder and returned the embrace she gave him. Whoever this was, he was truly glad for her company and for the comfort she gave him, which kind of reminded him of the times his mother used to comfort him whenever he felt sad or depressed. This girl wasn't just someone who had a pretty face, but had a kind soul underneath the graceful exterior as well; he was quite grateful for the balance of both factors which he found in this girl.

They remained that way for a while, until Nimni had run out of tears to cry, and he hesitantly pulled himself away from her embrace. Looking down at her, he couldn't help but smile slightly as he wiped his tears away. "…Thank you… Again," He said, sincerely grateful for what she had done.

And like before, with the exception of a comforting smile that caused him to redden faintly, she replied, "You're welcome."

* * *

"So that's how you two met," Nemne spoke as Nimni paused from his story. To be honest, she never thought that her commander ever had such a traumatic past before; at least, not until now. He was quite an active member of the Porpos warriors, since he always fought on the front lines, never missed out on any training sessions, and not only that, he made it a habit to pray to Ninulneda along with the other devoted believers of the sea god in the temple whenever possible. It was as if he had become the very definition of a Porpos: a strong warrior who had a deep faith in Ninulneda. He had balanced strength and bravery along with faith.

It was hard to believe someone like him ever went through something that scarred him for the rest of his life.

"Yes…" Came Nimni's reply, and he fingered the pink necklace he pulled out from underneath his armor.

Nemne could not help but feel a pang of guilt build up in her stomach, for she felt that she rose up such a sensitive topic that most likely returned some feelings of moroseness and depression to her commander. Having to hear something such as what he had told her just now would certainly make just about anyone sad and miserable, especially if they experienced it first-hand.

Looking down, she frowned and spoke apologetically, "I'm sorry."

Nimni shook his head at her statement. "No…" He told her. "You don't have anything to be regretful for. I chose to speak with you about this… You didn't force me to tell you anything."

His words were true; he _was_ the one who asked her if he could talk to her about this. It wasn't as if she poked him continually and asked what was bothering him over and over like some parrot. Despite this, however, Nemne couldn't help but feel partly responsible for bringing it up, especially since such an experience was so traumatic.

She began to think about what Nimni just told her. It was truly unbelievable, not only because something like that happened to him, but also because he had met the Priestess a long time ago and because he had known her for so long.

But that day was so long ago, she realized… How was it that Nimni was still able to recognize that Priestess Neira was the same white Porpos he had met then? After all, there were various white Porposes among the Porpos-kin… Sometimes it was pretty hard to distinguish one guy from another. Sure, they had different skin colors, but it was just so hard to figure out who's who sometimes especially if their backs were facing her or if she was in a big crowd of Porpos-kin.

"Commander," She said, deciding that she bring it up with him, "How did you know that Priestess Neira was that same Porpos you met that day?"

"…Oh, about that…" Nimni stated, at once understanding what Nemne was trying to tell him. "Let me continue with my story then," He told her, and not once did his hand slip away from the pink shell shards that adorned the necklace he wore.

* * *

"What about you?" Nimni asked, feeling a bit more confident to speak to the figure beside him. He couldn't say why he suddenly felt safe talking to her though they had just met, but perhaps it was because she had comforted him earlier in his time of grief. "What are you doing here?"

It made sense that he also asked why she was there as well, since she was a child like he was, and that children like the two of them weren't even supposed to be going into dark caves for no reason at all especially if they went in of their own accord. At least he had an explanation: he somehow stumbled into the cave without realizing it, and if it were not for her, then he would have bolted right out of there in the blink of an eye, no doubt about it. Also, his father was with him (although he wasn't literally present) and the elder Porpos would most likely have a clear idea of where the blue Porpos would be if he didn't come back to him after a long amount of time had passed.

But as for the white Porpos, he wasn't sure if someone had come with her or not, and from the looks of it, she seemed to have come here alone.

He saw her look down upon the water. "…Well…" She started, "I sneaked out and came here. I was lucky no one caught me, too."

Nimni widened his eyes at her in total shock as he heard what she just did. _She __sneaked__ out?_ "But, but…" He said, now worried for what would happen to her if her parents found out that she went out here by herself and without them knowing. "Won't you get in trouble? Your parents might find out and… And…"

"…I don't have any parents," She said, cutting him from his statement as her expression darkened. At this, Nimni stopped himself from continuing any further, and, little by little, a guilty feeling started to well up within his stomach and he felt as though he said something he shouldn't have.

"Don't… Don't have any parents?" He asked her meekly. "Did they…" He gulped, thinking that her parents probably met the same fate as his mother. "Did they also…"

"…I'm not sure," She said, getting at what he was trying to imply. "The people in the temple said I was an orphan, and the Priestess took me in when I was younger. Since then… I've become her apprentice."

Nimni cocked his head slightly at the word she spoke. "Apprentice?" He repeated. "What's that?"

She looked up at him and replied, "Well… An apprentice is like someone's student. He studies under a master or mistress, who teaches him all kinds of things…" Her gaze shifted to her hand, which was open and flat on the ground. "As for me, my mistress is the Priestess… And she tells me that I have to learn everything she teaches me so I can grow up to become like her someday. She says one day, when I've grown much older, I'll take her place as Priestess and be a lead all the Porpos-kin…"

Nimni couldn't help but stare at her in awe; here he was, sitting next to someone who would become an important Porpos someday. Heck, he was even talking to her. "Wow…" He spoke in amazement, "I'm sure that would be really cool… Having to be a leader of all the Porpos-kin…"

The white Porpos frowned. "You really think it's that great, don't you?" Nimni nodded at her.

"Of course I think it is," He said. "You're going to be the most powerful Porpos in Naineneis when you grow up. You're going to do all kinds of great things and everyone will love you and pay attention to you—"

"That's… Not exactly how it works," She said, once again, interrupting him before he could even finish. Taking a glance at him, she could see him giving her a look that said, "What do you mean?"

With a sigh, she explained, "Being a her apprentice doesn't mean I'll be doing great things and I'll be loved by everyone; it's about having to stay indoors, always praying to the sea god, and only coming out of the temple whenever something very important is going on or when you're told to… No one outside the temple would actually know you existed until you become the next Priestess… And you're never allowed to talk to anyone outside the temple nor even step outside without asking for permission first."

She turned away from him. "I sometimes sneak out of the temple and come here, just so I can get away from it all… Luckily, today's just one of those days when everyone thinks I'm inside my room, reading some of the books they've made me read…"

"Oh…" Was all Nimni could say, for he didn't know what else he possibly could tell her. He had never thought that she was actually living such a secluded and isolated life all this time, and while he still had his father, she doesn't even know if she had any parents at all. It wasn't just that, though—he could feel that she probably disliked the thought of growing up to be the Priestess, and that she was never allowed to do or have anything she would want, like a puppet on strings, forced to move however the puppeteer pleases. She was never allowed to step outside without anyone restraining her, never allowed to interact with Porpos-kin of her age or just about anyone that wasn't part of the temple…

It was like she wasn't even allowed to have an ordinary childhood, and Nimni felt guilty for it; what he was going through was nothing compared to what she had been going through ever since she was younger.

Despite this, however, he couldn't help but feel that both of them were quite similar to each other. Maybe not in lives they were living nor the current number of parents, but perhaps the fact that both of them didn't have any friends they could share their problems with or talk to. Nimni's mother had died after all, leaving him without anyone to talk to (not even his father), and the white Porpos beside him didn't seem to have any friends at all, what with her being completely cast out from Porpos-kin society and all that.

"What if…" Nimni began, an idea forming inside his mind. "What if you and I… Be friends instead?"

The white Porpos spun her head back to him, the last part of his sentence echoing in her mind. "…Friends?"

Nimni nodded, his face filled with a glimmer of hope that she would agree to his proposition. "Y-Yes, friends," He said a little nervously despite the smile he had on his face. "We… We can come back here and we can talk about all kinds of things and, uh, do all sorts of stuff… Y-You can tell me about what happens in the temple a-and I can tell you about what happens in town, and…" He scratched the back of his head, trying to think of more possible things they would do. "…If w-we have problems, we can, um… Always just talk to each other…" With every word he spoke, his smile widened even more, his heart beat faster, and he could feel his face becoming warmer. "A-And everybody deserves to have friends, don't they?"

"…I…" She uttered, apparently surprised at his words. However, she couldn't help but smile at him. "I suppose we could…"

Upon hearing this, Nimni felt his heart leap in excitement. Inside his mind, he shouted, _**YES! **_And he mentally began jumping up and down in joy as he bit his lip excitedly.

"But," She spoke, and at once Nimni stopped himself from continuing is mental act of celebrating his success. "But…?" He repeated, inwardly hoping that whatever she was about to say was nothing at all that serious.

"But I'm afraid that someone will eventually take notice, and not only will I be in trouble once the Priestess finds out, but you as well."

Nimni gulped. She had a point there. Even anyone would be suspicious when he finds out that someone, whom he knows is supposed to be in a certain place at a certain time of day doing a certain task, isn't there and suddenly practices truancy for the next week or so. And there was no denying that there was probably going to be someone they didn't know or see quietly monitoring their movements and witnessing every little thing that they were going to do. What's more, whoever it was would most likely be someone from the temple who was assigned to look after the white Porpos, and was probably told to report to the Priestess if he or she finds out that the Porpos girl had been neglecting her priorities and had been sneaking out with somebody to a place where they weren't even supposed to be going to.

Friendship was important, he knew, but so was both of their well-being. He didn't want her to get in trouble just because he wanted to see her… That would be just wrong, and he'd get himself in trouble as well. He'd also be humiliating her in front of other people. It was bad enough that she would be humiliated in front of the Priestess; having to shame her—and maybe even himself—in front of the entire Porpos-kin population was just too much, and it would all be his fault. And instead of forging a friendship with her, he'd end up signing a contract that would end up with the white Porpos hating him instead.

Nimni looked away, a feeling of dread making his chest pound nervously. "Y… You're right," He said with another gulp. "I-I'm sorry."

"It's alright… You haven't done anything wrong. Having a friend would be nice, though…" He heard her say. "If only I didn't have to grow up into the next Priestess, then maybe we would have been friends…" She sighed.

"You… Really don't want to be the next Priestess, do you…?" Nimni asked a bit timidly, turning his head slightly towards her direction and from the corner of his eye, he saw her shake her head in disapproval with a glum look on her face.

"No… But if I don't become the next Priestess, then who will lead the Porpos-kin when our Priestess is gone? Who will the people turn to in times of danger or when bad things happen to the city? How will Ninulneda be able to speak to the people when they need her the most? And who will lead the warriors when…" She gulped. "…When it's time to go to war…?"

And again, her words made perfect sense. Even the current Priestess' time will come someday, and it was only natural that someone replaced her as the new leader of the Porpos-kin. Without a new Priestess, the town would be in a total state of havoc and chaos, there was no way for the sea god to communicate to the people (at least, not that they knew of any other methods), and when wartime comes, the enemy might end up winning without even lifting a finger because there was dissension in their own ranks. It would be like what happened to a certain city when a certain army released a number of refugee soldiers into the city—making it seem as though the army had let them go—when the real reason behind why they were released was because the city's food supply was running short and they knew that the people and the soldiers would eventually be fighting over the food.

Nimni let out a defeated sigh. He felt bad not only for the fact that it was impossible to forge a friendship between themselves (for the moment), but also for she was bound to her fate of becoming the next Priestess, and no matter what she did, said, or thought about it, there was absolutely no way she was able to get out of it.

"I… I guess you really don't have any other choice…" He said, frowning. She nodded quietly, and Nimni turned to the gushing water that continuously filled the spring. Absently, his hand reached up to one of the four beads on his necklace, and he began fiddling with them. He remained quiet for some time, his eyes fixed upon the water, and when he looked up to say something again, he was surprised to see the girl holding her necklace in her hand.

Nimni looked down upon the pink shards of her necklace with a questioning look in his eyes. He shifted his eyes' gaze to the white Porpos and was about to ask what she was doing when she said, "It's true I don't have a choice in this and that there's no way I can escape my fate of becoming Priestess, but…" She smiled—her morose expression replaced with what Nimni could see as a ray of hope in the possibility of them sharing a bond with one another—before continuing, "I'm glad that you and I talked today, and I would like it if you and I both exchanged our necklaces, so I can have something to remember you by…" She extended the hand holding her necklace out to him. "…Since I doubt we'll ever meet again after today."

Nimni couldn't help but stare at her, stunned by her statement. He looked towards the necklace, then back to her, before laying his eyes upon his own necklace. His hand reached up to touch the beads again, and the memory of his mother returned into his mind. The girl watched him as he fell silent and as he began to think.

_What would she say?_ He asked himself as he pondered upon the decision of having to exchange necklaces with her and not. If he gave his necklace away, then he would be giving away the last remaining memoir of his mother. He would be giving away something that reminded him of the only person that brought and gave him happiness and comfort when no one else was around to give it to him.

Would he seriously be willing to give up something that was the only reminder of the most important figure, of his only friend, in his entire life, just so he would be able to forge a bond with someone who wants to befriend him?

His mother… He always made him happy, he knew. She would do anything to make sure he was, but not going so far as spoiling him and letting him do whatever he wanted. When he felt depressed, she always did something to cheer him up; when he got hurt—physically speaking—, she would tend to his wound and soothe him. She did whatever she could just so she could see that smiling face he had.

And if making a friend made him happy, then his mother would probably be more than happy to have allowed him to exchange necklaces with her.

He carefully took off the necklace from himself and nodded at her. "I think…" He said a bit shyly, "I think my mother wouldn't mind… If I gave this to you." Gathering his courage, he put the necklace around her neck as a light blush colored his cheeks. He saw her cheeks redden faintly as she smiled at him. She placed her necklace around his neck, and he felt his cheeks heat up even more as he felt the light touch of her hand on his skin. The girl's blush also deepened as she pulled her hands away.

"Now we have a part of each other…" She said, before looking deeply into his eyes, "So if I ever forget you and if we ever meet again… I'll know it's you by just looking at your necklace."

"…Yes…" He uttered with a nod, and looked down at the necklace he now wore. The shells were pink—just like her eyes—and carefully and expertly carved into triangles. The pinkness faded into white at the tips, reminding him of her as well; she was, after all, a white Porpos.

He couldn't help but smile as he realized how much this necklace reminded him of the Porpos girl before him.

"Well," He heard her say after a while. "We should be getting back soon… Your father's probably worried too."

As soon as he heard her say _father_, he immediately remembered that he was waiting for him, and he was most likely wondering where he is and what's taking him so long to get back.

"…You're right," He spoke as he got up, helping the girl to her feet. She dusted herself off and straightened her pink robes with her free hand as she accepted his. He was about to say something more, when he saw her look down at their hands, and he felt her white hand rubbing against his palm, causing him to redden. She seemed to be acting as if he didn't mind her at all, much to his nervousness.

_What in the world was she doing?_

With each stroke she made on his palm, his heart throbbed hard, and he began to feel a drop of sweat form along the side of his head. For a few moments, she continued to caress it gently, and when Nimni couldn't take it any longer, he blurted, "…Um… W-We should g-go…"

At his statement, she raised her head quickly, and her face was red with embarrassment. "A-Ah… Um…" She gulped. "I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to… Uh, err…" The thought of her actions just now suddenly rendered her speechless, and she lowered her head to hide the blush she had.

"I-It's okay…" Nimni said, before looking away from her. An awkward silence filled the atmosphere around them, and neither one felt like talking to the other as the thoughts of what the girl did lingered in each other's minds.

Some moments later, the girl spoke up, "We really must be going…"

Nimni could only agree; his father was waiting, and he couldn't take any more of this embarrassing feeling he kept getting. The pair walked out from where they hid themselves, and began to make their way towards the cavern's entrance. But before they continued on, a loud rumble echoed, much similar to the one they heard earlier and much louder, causing the pair to freeze on the spot. Nimni cringed.

"It's… It's back…" Nimni gulped as an uneasy feeling welled up inside of him. The girl nodded, and she looked around, hoping that whatever made the sound wasn't anywhere nearby. Unfortunately, her eye caught sight of a particular figure in the dark, and she grabbed Nimni's wrist quickly, much to his surprise.

"What, what is it?" He asked as she saw her backing away towards the entrance. She pointed towards the distance, and Nimni looked, only to find what appeared to be a creature which looked like a large turtle with a rock for a shell. It made a low growl, sending fear into both of them.

Nimni remembered it was one of those monsters that he saw his father fought once when a hoard of monsters somehow managed to make their way into the city. They shot themselves across the air while spinning their bodies, and whenever they did, they were really fast, and it often caught up to people who tried to run away from it.

Another bead of sweat trickled along his head, except this time, it was out of anxiety. If they were to run, then—definitely—it would catch up to the both of them, no doubt about that.

Nimni glanced at the girl holding his wrist. She was shaking, and he could feel his arm shake uncontrollably as her grip on his wrist tightened. The blue Porpos could hear her labored breathing, most probably done by the fear the monster instilled in her. He had never seen anyone so scared in his life, and he felt his eyes widen as he came into a sudden realization: in a way, the girl reminded Nimni of… Himself.

Flashbacks and memories of when he was afraid came into his mind. He was often scared by small things, like insects or even the typical sleeping-alone-in-the-dark. Perhaps these fears… May have been one of the reasons why he felt insecure with people around his age. Whenever he was afraid, it was often—in fact, always—someone else who helped him with his phobias; it was always someone else who made all the things that made him scared just go away.

Now, as he looked at this girl, at this figure who reminded him so much of his own behavior, he could not help but feel a sense of endearment towards her. He couldn't stand seeing her this way, to be so fearful and afraid for what would happen to her. It made him want to get rid of whatever it was that was making her act like this, just so he could see her be happy again…

And at that moment, in that span of time, what felt like some kind of raw emotion sparked inside him. The feeling grew, becoming stronger with every split second that passed, and before long, it became a wave, washing over him as his heart thumped hard against his chest. His hands clenched into fists, and he gritted his teeth, letting an angry growl escape from his mouth. He shot an angry glare at the monster, which didn't even seem to realize that the Porpos boy was actually giving him one.

Looking down, he saw the stick he dropped earlier. He bent down and picked it up, causing the girl to stare at him shock. "What are you doing?" She asked, half-fearing and half-expecting his answer. He looked back at her, and bit his lip over her question. The thumping feeling in his chest grew heavy, and for a moment the logical side of him came back to make him think over on his actions: What _was_ he doing? Was he really certain about what he was doing? Was he really going to fight this monster? He was just a kid; he didn't know how to fight. For all he knew, he could get himself killed. And what if the monster catches the girl when he's taken out? What then? His efforts to keep her safe would be worthless!

_No, I have to,_ He convinced himself as he shook his head, a look of determination on his face despite the conflicting emotions of uncertainty and bravery inside him. He turned his head away from the girl. _"Run,"_ He said, much to her fear. "I'll keep him back while you get away… If we both run, he'll get us for sure."

"But…!" She exclaimed, "You can't defeat that thing! _You'll get yourself killed!_" She gripped harder at his wrist and tugged at his arm, pleading that he stop what he was doing and run while they still can. "Please, we have to—"

Before she could finish her statement, however, the monster shot its spinning body towards them. The girl shrieked in horror as she brought both of her hands to her face in an attempt to shield herself. Nimni, seeing that the girl had released his wrist, leapt off the ground and shoved the white Porpos out of the way, causing the monster to ram him instead. The girl fell to the ground, next to some of the large rocks where they hid earlier, while Nimni flew across the air before skidding across the ground and rolling to a halt near the cavern's entrance.

The monster slowly approached Nimni, who shakily got to his feet. He could feel his stomach swelling from the blow the monster made on him. From the corner of his eye, he saw the Porpos girl with a look of horror on her face and a white hand over her mouth as she saw him. She scrambled to her feet, most likely with the intention of running to him to see if he was alright.

A feeling of dread mixed with some anger washed over him, and at this, he yelled, **"No! Don't!"**

She immediately froze, worry still plastered on her features. "But…" She protested, but this only made Nimni more fearful. With desperation and a hint of anger in his voice, he yelled, "Hide! Don't let him see you! Get away from here!"

She was about to say something again, but then she decided against it—for her sake, most likely—before she backed away and ran to hide behind one of the large boulders nearby in spite of her desire to go over to help him. When he could no longer see her, Nimni smiled weakly and mentally thanked her for doing what he asked.

He turned back to monster, which was coming for him again with its body. He felt some uncertainty on what he should be doing, and he quickly brought his arms up to cover himself. This had no effect however, and as the monster's body slammed against him, he flew backwards, before falling on his back on the ground.

The blue Porpos gritted his teeth as he bent forward and tried to sit up. His body was aching now; the monster had attacked only _twice _and the pain was unbearable. He wasn't used to this kind of pain. His back was aching, his arms were sore, and something _red_ was coming out of the side of his head… It was as if he had been dragged across a rocky path or something. He felt a headache kicking in, and his mind felt hazy.

But then, he shook his head. He knew he had to keep this monster from seeing her…

His eyes widened in surprise as he saw the monster leap into the air and start to fall on top of him. Despite the pain he felt, he rolled off to side, just before the turtle-like creature could crush him. With whatever strength he could muster from his small body, he charged for the monster, before slamming the stick he held upon its rocky shell. Unsurprisingly, the thin driftwood stick snapped in two, and the upper half flipped into the air, before falling to the floor with a clatter.

The light, ineffective blow seemed to only tick off the creature, and it, once again, rammed its spinning body against the blue Porpos, sending him crashing towards the cavern's hard, rock wall. Nimni slid to the ground, his head hung low and his body slumped against the wall behind him. A trail of blood dripped down the side of his head, and fell to the floor with small drips.

"Urgh…" He grunted as he tried to look up, and his vision was blurred as he could see the vague figure of the rock turtle slowly advancing towards his small, battered body. He tried getting up, but the force of impact made him unable to move his arms and legs to get up and escape while he could. He opened his mouth to say something, but he was unable to say a thing.

_I… I just hope that girl's… Okay…_ He thought wearily, the face of the white Porpos coming into his mind. But as his vision was overwhelmed by darkness completely, he thought he saw a figure come up in front of him, and he heard a faint cry before he blacked out.

* * *

"When I had awoken," Nimni continued, "I found myself in my room in bandages… My father had saved me from the monster. I didn't see her since then, but I always thought about her everyday… And it was only when I had been accepted as a member of the Naineneis warriors that I saw her again." He lightly clutched his necklace, careful not to harm its delicate features. "During the ceremony, while she gave her regards to the new recruits, I saw her on the temple's balcony, wearing my necklace…"

Nemne had spoken nothing while Nimni told his story. She pondered upon the duo's exchange of necklaces, and she was truly surprised to hear that the very same necklace that Priestess Neira wore around her neck had once belonged to Nimni. That—along with Nimni thinking about her day after day—would apparently be enough for her to say that it was no surprise that Neira was the same Porpos that her Commander met in his childhood. But…

"Commander, I have another question," She said as she put her hands on her bare stomach. Nimni nodded, wondering what it was. "What is it?"

"Why is it that…" Nemne looked towards the ceiling. "Priestess Neira doesn't seem to remember you as the one who tried to save her?"

It was true; how come Neira didn't seem to recognize Nimni, despite the fact that he was practically her right-hand Porpos? He was, more often than not, seen with her, wasn't he? In fact, whenever the Priestess was to give a speech, she would see him standing next to her; sometimes a bit too close, now that she would think about it. All this time, how come Neira failed to see that Nimni was the same Porpos who protected her all those years ago?

Then again, there was the chance that Neira probably knew, but only kept it a secret, for fear of public opinion. She was the Priestess after all… And Nimni had been wearing her necklace all this time so there was probably a point in time that the Priestess had approached him about it.

"Because…" He lowered his head to look at the necklace he gripped in his hand. "I kept the necklace hidden underneath my armor… Since she was the Priestess, I felt that if she saw me, she would be attracting a great deal of negative attention towards me… And herself."

Nemne was silent; she could understand what he was saying. "Then what happened…?"

"After I saw her again that day, I began working hard to be a member of the Naineneis warriors," Nimni explained. "When I had been accepted as a warrior, I knew I was a step closer to achieving my goal. As time passed, I became even more infatuated with her. All the while, I trained myself and honed my skill with the spear, and my hard work paid off after they recognized me as—"

"—Naineneis' bravest warrior?" Nemne cut in, interrupting him. He did not mind it as he nodded. "Yes. And my title was enough to prove to me that I became strong enough to protect her… To keep her safe. But I knew that I still had to work harder, because there are more formidable monsters… Stronger enemies…"

Nemne couldn't help but be amazed by how much Nimni has changed since he was a child. Even now, she couldn't believe that someone like her commander was once a timid and easily frightened child. And from that, he grew into what he was now: the bravest of the Porpos-kin and a renowned warrior. He grew out of his childish self and became more mature, more responsible and… _More easily impressed…_ She felt a sweatdrop as she thought about the last part. There was no helping it, after all; she recalled the various times she heard her Commander exclaim, "This day shall be remembered!" whenever Ninulneda possessed the Priestess' body.

"But then I found out about… _That_…"

And, upon hearing his statement, Nemne knew exactly what he meant.

* * *

It wasn't often that Nimni visited the Naineneis Library. Rows of coral shelves surrounded him as he walked down the aisle, all of which were filled with various tomes, books, and scrolls. The height of the wide shelves—which nearly touched the ceiling—gave him a feeling of uncertainty and perhaps a small hint of fear; if an earthquake was to happen at that moment, he knew that there was going to be no way for him to get away from the huge, falling shelves in time. But he shook his head at the pessimistic thoughts that entered his mind, since earthquakes don't usually happen in Naineneis, and if there was then it would be caused by huge and rough waves ramming the shell-enclosed city.

His thoughts then shifted towards the reason why he was here: it was the first day of the _Flower_ season, and according to the calendar and to Porpos-kin law, everyone in the city shouldn't be at work during the first day of that season. The reason why: The Flower season was a season of great abundance, and the Porpos believe that the wealth of food and potch they receive was the work of Ninulneda, whom they believe was the one who rewarded them for their diligence and hard work. It was a day when they would give thanks for all the blessings they believed the sea god had provided for them, and perhaps the sea god also thought that they deserved to have a break after working so hard for the past two seasons.

Long story short, it simply meant that the Naineneis warriors had the whole day off, and Nimni had his hands free. Usually he busied himself with training to pass the time, but because of the holiday (and the law) he couldn't do his training until the next day came. It felt a little frustrating, having to wait until the day was over. But because it was part of the law, he couldn't do anything about it and he could only just go along with it; it was the sea god's will for his people to have a break for once.

So instead of doing nothing and waiting for the day to end, he decided to do something he hadn't done before: visiting the Naineneis Library. He recalled that when he was still a novice, his commander told him that strength isn't the only thing a soldier needs to remember when he was in battle. He also needed to be intelligent; he had to know how to advance strategically in a battle, especially one where he did not know or see his enemies. He needed to know how to lead his units properly, dispatch his foes swiftly, and manage to keep a low number of casualties at the same time. He was a commander now himself, so it was only necessary that he had to acquire more knowledge about battle and send out his troops efficiently.

He then noticed a sign that hanged on the wall. Written on it was the phrase, "War Strategies", along with an arrow pointing to the aisle in front of him. The Porpos commander followed the sign's directions before he approached one of the shelves and pulled out a random book. He looked at the brown, hard cover, which read _The_ _Gate Rune Wars._ The book seemed rather old; he could barely make out the name of the author who wrote it. But despite this, the blue Porpos smiled; he knew he was in the right place. By reading about wars, he could learn how to deal with certain situations whenever they got in a pinch in battle, such as when some possessed general suddenly released man-eating spores all over the battlefield which was also what killed the most faithful servant of a rebel army's leader. But that, obviously, is another story.

As he was about to head for the nearest desk to read the book in his hands, his eyes caught sight of a rolled-up scroll on the shelf. At first he thought that it was supposed to be there, until he saw that the whole shelf in front of him was rowed with nothing but books. He looked behind him, but all he saw was the wall. He blinked.

"A misplaced scroll…?" He spoke as he took the scroll into his free hand. Looking at the label of the scroll's cylindrical container, he saw that it read _The Priests and Priestesses' Code._ It was a scroll of etiquette for Naineneis leaders. Apparently, it was something one would classify under law, and Nimni wondered what it was doing here. Protocols of officials had little to do with war, after all. Either someone had forgotten where he was supposed to return it (the library was a big place, after all), or someone was in a rush and he had forgotten to return it. Or someone was just lazy. No one could tell, really.

Out of interest, he decided to read the scroll first. He had always wondered what it was Priests and Priestesses did other than lead and allow themselves to be possessed by the sea god. He remembered the time when he had first met—he suddenly blushed—Priestess Neira; at the time she was still an apprentice, and while she told him of what being a Priestess was like, he always felt there was more to it than that. He could still remember the resentment the white Porpos had in her voice when she had spoken to him about it.

Speaking of the Priestess, even now—when she was working, when she had public speeches or ceremonies, or even when there were festivals—he could see hints of unhappiness in her features. Yes, there were times that the Priestess seemed happy, but there was no denying that he could see the sadness in her eyes. And he figured that this sadness was probably from what she was now, or even from what she had to experience as a child. The thought of this made him feel pity for her, as it had always done when he thought about it several times before and when she had first confided to him about it. The more he saw her face that way, the more he felt the longing to ease away the pain that she felt.

For a while, he let the thought settle in his mind before shaking it off and placing the book back into the shelf. After that, he walked over to the nearby desk and sat down on a chair. He took out the scroll from its container and unrolled it. It rolled off of the table, fell on the floor, and rolled over to a stop towards the wall. The scroll was long, but it wasn't anything at all unexpected; many scrolls were like that.

Nimni began reading the scroll. An introductory note about Priests and Priestesses in general was the first thing that came into sight. It talked about who they were, what their roles were, and what their main purpose was. Shortly after he finished the introduction, he moved his attention towards the next part of the scroll, which was mainly about how they were supposed to behave, but mostly of things which they weren't supposed to do. It was a handbook of sorts, only it wasn't a book.

He read over the guidelines. The first one was, "One must have great reverence for Ninulneda." That was pretty much something one would expect, because if someone was to be Priest or Priestess, then it was only natural for them to be the most religious ones among the Porpos-kin. He read over the next couple of rules—most of which weren't really surprising. However, after reading over a few more, he paused over one statement, and was about to move on when his teal eyes widened in utter shock. He turned back to the statement again, only to feel his heart skip a beat as he abruptly slammed the palms of his hands on the desk and focused his eyes towards the words on the scroll.

"N…No…" Nimni muttered, a feeling of dread rapidly welling upon his chest and a wave of horror washing over his now pale face. "It… It can't, _it_ _just can't…_"

"_**One cannot have any romantic involvements with anyone, whether they are Porpos or not."**_

The blue Porpos read the sentence over and over again. His arms were hard and stiff as they supported the looming Nimni, who was still the entire time. Before long, shaky, uneasy breaths escaped him and his arms began to tremble. He quickly pulled himself away from the desk, before slowly backing away and bumping the shelf behind him.

As he slowly slid to the cold, hard floor, the thoughts of the Priestess came rushing into his mind: he recalled what she looked like then and now, how she was before, and how she was like whenever he saw her or when they interacted. Then there was memory of when they first met, when they exchanged necklaces, when he had defended her from that monster, when he saw her again during the initiation ceremony of the Naineneis warriors, and when she had talked to him during that day when she appointed him as her right-hand Porpos. Then came in his mind were those times when he thought about her—when he thought about what she was like, how she made him feel, and even those times when he thought of someday liberating her from that unhappiness that shackled and bound her… Every single thought, every single memory that involved his experiences with her; all of it came back to him.

And he knew that all of those feelings he had for her—even those foolish thoughts he had of the both of them being happy together—were all for naught.

Moments later, a horrid scream was heard echoing throughout the library. Various Porposes paused in their reading—some of them shocked senseless as they immediately clutched their seats in sudden fear—to see and wonder who in the name of Ninulneda had the nerve to create such a racket in a place such as that and why, only to see a certain blue Porpos dashing across the corridor—his head down as he did. One of his fellow warriors who was in the library as well was about to ask him what had happened, but Nimni did not stop and ignored him as he went out of the library. He ran past everything, past everyone. All the while kept his head low, keeping his face—his tears—from being seen by anyone.

_It…It just can't be… Priestess… Neira…_

* * *

Nemne was stunned silent upon hearing his words; she couldn't possibly imagine how Nimni had even felt at that moment of his life. She had known about that rule of the code; it was mentioned to her when she was asking someone once before if the Priestess ever had a relationship. A few seconds later, Nemne spoke again. "Commander…" She started, though she felt quite unsure what to tell him. "I…"

"I know, I know…" He whimpered as his hand clenched into a fist. "She's the Priestess… And the Priestess is not allowed to fall in love with anyone. No one is supposed to feel this way for the Priestess because it's wrong. I know other people will think badly of me for having these feelings for the Priestess if they ever find out, but…" He was now trembling as he gritted his teeth. "But Nemne, I… I can't help it, Nemne. I love… Her… And even if she wasn't the Priestess, I… I doubt she even likes me at all…" A tear escaped his eye and fell to his blue garments. He raised a hand to wipe his now wet eyes.

"…I'm sorry if I offended you with this in any way…" He spoke, his voice shaky; what he just said was against their beliefs as followers of Ninulneda. He lowered his head and cried quietly, trying his best not to make it obvious to his ally that he was crying. His restrained sobs, however, did not escape the pink Porpos' hearing, and it was only natural; he had kept it in for such a long time that it probably ate away at him as time went on, since he had no one to tell it to. It then became unbearable for him to keep it in, so he needed an outlet; he needed to tell someone whom he knew he could trust to keep it a secret.

She didn't know what to say as she heard him. At once, she recalled a certain morning several days before, when she was talking to Nomno about a similar thing to what she and Nimni were talking about now. She could fully understand how the blue Porpos felt; he was experiencing the same kind of affliction she had. They were both afraid of what people thought about their love interests, and what's more, they were unsure if the people they loved actually felt the same for them or understood them at all. The both of them were fighting battles similar to one another; they had a similar illness that plagued both of them.

What pained her also was that Nimni suffered more than her. Nemne's situation wasn't so bad, because Nomno was no one special (except for her) and he was just another Porpos. In Nimni's situation, he loved a Priestess of Ninulneda. Since that was the case, it also meant that it was impossible for the blue Porpos to court Lady Neira, because it was against the Porpos-kin law, and for Lady Neira it was against her code of conduct as a Priestess if she were to accept Nimni's courtship. While Nemne was against skepticism, Nimni was against everything he believed in as a follower of Ninulneda, the Porpos-kin law, and maybe even the sea god herself.

And the blue Porpos had absolutely no chance of winning. It was no wonder why he was crying. It was a hopeless fight and they both knew it.

She leaned her head back and looked up at the dark ceiling of the cavern. She could see herself in her commander, and she felt like she was Nomno, except that she was able to speak out what she was really thinking. She felt that even though he was unsure about telling her at first, he must have told it to her because he knew she would listen to what he had to say; the same reason why she would go to Nomno whenever she had a problem troubling her.

Whatever the reason was, she would also have gone to talk about her problem with him, if he wasn't so busy most of the time training. But now he needed someone—he needed her—and that was all that mattered right now.

"Commander," She began, feeling a bit uncertain of what she would say to comfort him. "I know… What it feels."

To this, Nimni's eyes slowly opened and he stopped crying. Wearily, he asked, "Wh-What…?"

"Commander, I…" She looked to her right, where Nomno slept peacefully. She smiled and continued, "I know how it feels to like someone people don't expect you to like, and how it feels to not know if the person you like feels the same way for you at all… But…" She trailed off.

"…But…?" Nimni repeated, urging her to continue.

"But Commander, I still like him… Even though I'm sure people will find it weird that I like someone like that…" She felt the urge to just caress the gray Porpos' face, but held it back as she went on, "I think it's alright for you to feel that way for Priestess Neira, though it is against our beliefs—"

"Are you saying I should abandon my belief in Ninulneda?" He interrupted, his tone of voice suddenly fearful. Nemne was also stunned at his statement but shook her head and said, "No, that's not what I'm trying to say at all!" Nemne was also a follower of Ninulneda, and it wasn't like she was against the sea god at all; she was just voicing out her opinion on the matter.

"What I'm trying to say, Commander, is that everyone gets a crush every now and then, and more often than not they end up being on people we shouldn't be having crushes for." She paused. "We can't help it if… You've fallen for someone, even though you know that you're not supposed to," She said as her eyes were downcast on the ground. "I guess it's okay for you to like her, as long as no one else finds out about it…" She recalled times before when she tried whatever it was possible to avoid people suspecting her of having any interest for Nomno, even though she had some urges like the one she had earlier. Having to hold the urges back were frustrating for the pink Porpos, but she knew she was going to be the one to benefit from it all in the end.

"Even if you can't win her heart, Commander…" She looked at the blue Porpos again. "You can always continue loving her, can't you?"

She had quite a point. Yes, it was impossible that Nimni would ever be able to earn Neira's affection, but it was better that he be the one to give her the affection in their relationship (though they don't have one as a couple), even if the white Porpos may never know of it. Like a wise man once said, _"It was better to love than to not have loved at all."_ And like a wise woman who was once the leader of a certain Liberation Army once said, _"If you turn away from your emotions, then that's a sin…"_

"Yes…" He spoke after a while, "I suppose… You have a point." He then proceeded to wipe his tears away. Again, he fell silent, staring at the water. He couldn't explain why, but for some reason, the burden in his chest somehow lifted. He felt… Relieved.

"I think…" He began all of a sudden, causing Nemne to look at him again, "I think that was what I needed." At the statement, Nemne couldn't agree more; she knew, because she felt those same relieving feelings he was having whenever she spoke to Nomno about her problems.

Nimni looked over his shoulder and gave Nemne a weak smile as he said, "Nemne… Thank you." He couldn't find anything else to say, but it didn't really matter; knowing Nemne, she got the gist of it anyway. Truly, he was grateful that he had a companionship with a person such as her—someone who wouldn't rebuke him for whatever secrets he shared or whatever topics he wanted to talk about.

In return, Nemne gave him her usual cheery smile and sang, "Always happy to help~" Nimni chuckled at her singing and turned away from her to look back into the water.

"You should get some sleep," He said. "We will still need to finish the mission tomorrow."

"I know," She replied and her eyes were cast on the fire. "If you want me to stay up and watch, Commander, just ask."

"We won't know that until the time comes," He told her, and the two of them laughed as the statement reminded them of their leader. After they quieted down, Nemne looked at Nomno beside her before she took one last look at Nimni for the day and said, "Goodnight, Commander." After which, she turned back to Nomno and leaned against the gray Porpos' shoulder; a smile and a blush on her face as she closed her eyes. She was going to have good dreams that night, and sleeping next to the one she liked was enough reason to answer why.

As Nemne drifted off to sleep, Nimni spun his head around and saw how glad her face looked as she leaned on Nomno's shoulder. With a smirk, he looked back at the water—finally realizing how come she understood so well what he felt—and letting the two of them be.

"Goodnight, Nemne…"

* * *

A/N: There we go, Chapter 4! I finally updated! YAY! XD I have to admit, it went almost exactly the way I had planned for it to go. My old draft of this was pretty lame; I made Nimni **WAY** too OOC. X( And speaking of OOCness, I hope I kept them in character as much as possible. It's not easy putting yourself in another person's POV especially if it's got a lot to do with romance. There's a lot more to romance than just fluffy scenes, hugs, kisses, and (I'm not gonna add doing _that_ in this list) confessions. I'm just glad I can base all the romance stuff from the experiences of people I know who experienced love first-hand.

I feel like some parts were rushed… Especially at the second to the last paragraph of the fifth part. I wanted to get it over with so I just wrote the memories entering in a rush Nimni's mind. I hope that wasn't confusing to read… And sorry if the story gets somehow crappy as it goes on (ahemfifthandsixthpartsahem).

Hm… This is practically my longest chapter yet! And I suppose it _was_ a good idea that I separated this part from the last chapter. I mean, seriously: I think I would've killed my readers just having to make them read one hell of a long chapter. XD

_YES,_ it's a stereotypical _my-mother-died-when-I-was-young_ kind of thing in his childhood, eh? And let's not forget the _I-met-my-love-interest-when-I-was-a-kid_ stuff too, of course. I'm getting sick of that first one, actually. It's getting overused and I only used it for the sake of the story.

**YAR, I made other Suikoden references!** XD And I made two on the same paragraph (SQUEE!)! Okay, so I'm not gonna put them often 'cause I only played three games in the series (I finished two of them, and the other one got busted and I couldn't finish it all. T_T)

Then the Priestess thing in the chapter… Think of it this way: a Priestess is like the job of an everyday priest, nun, etc. And everyone knows that if you've devoted your life to religion, you can't fall in love with anybody. What's more, no one's allowed to fall in love with them; so if you happen to fall in love in one, then you are absolutely screwed (and you have to be single, depressed, and lonely for the rest of your life, lol).

The next chapter is _definitely_ one of the chapters I've been meaning to post ever since I started this chapter. XD I can't wait until I finish that up… And hopefully with the start of my vacation _again,_ I'm pretty sure that I think I can. Actually I've already started on it and I'm halfway done with my first draft! =) I'll hopefully get it done within the month. And I'll try to see if I can keep it short and interesting this time (I need a break from long chapters -_-).

And a random rant: To be honest… Neira keeps reminding me of the Pokémon _Snivy_ lately… Actually, when I got Pokémon White, I got a female Snivy as a starter so I nicknamed it _Neira. _Now I got Pokémon Black and I even had the nerve to name my Oshawott with _Nimni…_ X3 And to make it even crazier, I just had to go overboard and name my Audino with _Nemne_ and name my Munna with _Nomno…_ XD

So… Lastly, what do you guys think of the story? (And my last statement up there, but that's just optional ^_^;)

Thanks for reading! –Zip


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